EE TIANG HONG

Ee Tiang Hong (1933-1990) was born in Malacca, educated in both Malacca and Singapore,and by 1975, he migrated to Perth, Australia, with his family and where he died of cancer.The critic, Kirpal Singh, has suggested that Ee was troubled by "fundamental changes beingintroduced by leaders to ensure that Malaysia (which Ee always referred to as Malaya) becomecentrally a Malay nation" ("Poetry and the Politics of History: Revisiting Ee Tiang Hong."Asiatic3.2 [2009]: 25-37). Poems here are taken from Ee's 1994 poetry collection,Nearing a Horizon.

Some New Perspectives

Race, language, religion, birthplace the categories do not satisfy;what do they say of you and me,the space, the silences between?

Not always negative, I ammore or less than your images,the truth is always partly,a few hints here and there.

That's how it is conceptualsmithereens, in spurtsand starts, a world view,the twentieth century's, ours.

A Business Lunch

As a starterwe had spring onion.

What next, I wondered,for entree?

You showed me a poemyou'd just finished.

CHewing the cud onion and poem

How about my favourite braisedbche-de-mer?

Perth

The city has no centre, focal landmark,no Place de la Concorde, Padang Merdeka, Tien An Men,no particular square, terrace, public park.

On important days citizens do not converge,as elsewhere, for a common purpose they feelno urge to (there's no compulsion);

would rather windsurf, sprawl on beach, go bush,or some place else, even overseas (if it'snot too far, not too expensive).

Alternatively, might as well stay home,weed, mow the lawn, try a new recipe, barbecue,lounge, have a beer, watch tv (Love you Perth).

Of course. Or else. Yet sometimes,for a while, I'd rather be awayfrom family, neighbours, visiting friends;

be all alone, to daydream, diverge, de-centred,but no looking back to brood, and not too far ahead,just the opposite foreshore, Bassendean.

And the Swan, quiet, deathly pale at evening.

For My Sister, Pearl Ee Siong Gek(d. May 1986)

Our surname was conceded the law and public opiniondemanded it; Mother chosethe rest, propitiously:Long Prosperitythe bestfor me. (But, as Solon said,no guarantee till one was dead.)

I chose Love, Learningand Compassion whatevermade the world more gentleand more beautiful,against our past.

I did not think to seehow wild the mountain still,the storms, the floods,the highway bullies lyingin wait, the gatekeeper at everycity wall how hard to movethe hearts of men.

They will not knowthe throbbing whitlow pain,like splinter under finger nailin the sweltering nights; and theleaking roof each time it rained.

They will not know the fewwho let us in, by a side-doorto the grand mansion, to thefestive tables, to the magnificentcities of the imagination, thenceto the world of our own making.

I set this down, on your behalfas well, in gratitude to our manyfriends and relatives; to allaythe rancour, slowly heal, forgive.