Singapore River by local poet, Lee Tzu Pheng

Posted on August 1, 2013

The operation was massive;

designed to give new life

to the old lady.

We have clearned out

Her arteries, removed

detritus and slit,

created a by-pass

for the old blood.

Now you can hardly tell

her history.

 

We have become

so health-conscious

the heart

can sometimes be troublesome.

Lee Tzu Pheng (Dr) (b. 13 May 1946, Singapore -) is considered one of Singapore’s most distinguished poets. A retired university lecturer, she is an award-winning poet who has published in anthologies and journals internationally. All her three volumes of poetry, Prospect of a Drowning (1980), Against the Next Wave (1988) and The Brink of an Amen (1991), have won the National Book Development Council of Singapore (NBDCS) Award – From http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_447_2005-01-25.html