The Words that Connect Us

Hi, welcome to Singapore.

I know it’s different,

Skyscrapers and highways drenched

in the red and gold of zooming cars

Everything is rapid here,

But I promise you it’s really nice,

Moving in unison with the current.

The slapping of feet and the smell of petrol.

The light here never sleeps.

I wonder if it’s like this where you live.

My feet step gingerly on the marble,

They aren’t used to the ground being so smooth.

I feel like I’m going to slip at any moment.

Looking around I gasp.

The slabs of concrete that ascend into the clouds

And the endless sea of heads moving in unison.

I wonder if they know what it’s like to feel soft dirt

And breathe the sharp scent of pine trees.

Everything here feels artificial and robotic,

There’s so much going on it makes me feel dizzy.

But nothing has ever excited me more.

In this city, where nothing ever sleeps.

She seems overwhelmed

Her eyes wide. Confusion tinged with awe.

What does she think of my lifestyle?

So different to the beautiful simplicity of hers.

Suddenly self-conscious I look around

As if I am seeing Singapore for the first time.

At first I see the looming shadow of buildings

And masses of people crammed into busy streets.

It’s almost scary.

But then I zoom in.

I see the individual people.

Race, language, religion, it doesn’t matter.

Because we move in unison with the current.

I look over to her.  

Suddenly I feel self-conscious.

What do I have to share when she has seen the universe

And all I have is my tiny corner of the world.

Where every day blends into the next with the same monotony.

How will I fit into this emotionless world.

What should I do with the two words I have for every thought?

Should I forget or share my unique song?

Does she feel burdened too?

I give up so much for perfection.

Meet the criteria, check all the right boxes,

Be the poster child for success.

But why is success defined by a grade?

Sometimes I feel like a fish in a forest.

I wonder if I will ever find water nearby.

Hush now, I’m told. We’re not here to question the system.

Does she feel burdened too?

I give up so much to expectations, yet none of them are mine.

I’m treated like a china doll, any mark decreasing my value.

Please them with good manners and a pretty smile,

It’s the only way to succeed, only way to have a future.

But why is my success defined by how much my face is worth.

Why can’t they see that the thoughts in my head have value.

Hush now, I’m told. Who am I to question culture?  

I can feel it creeping, like poison ivy.

The hourglass is running out, but nobody listens.

No one tries to fix what’s broken.

We thank the oceans that give us water

by feeding river mouths with poison.

We steal oxygen from trees and then return gifts of life

with bulldozers and dead animals.

Blast me into space and I’ll be less lonely than here.

We are all little planets in orbit.

Moving in the same direction but never colliding.

But if rocks didn’t collide then would we be here today?

I wish I could make a difference but I have bigger problems.

Why should I care about feeding fish garbage

when people are stolen from their homes and fed bullets.

We have to save the environment. But what about the people who suffer

Disease, starvation, trauma, disability. Who will save them?

We will get our justice, it all comes back around to us,

but does everyone deserve it?

Plants don’t get cancer from chemical showers. We do.

And when we generate enough heat to melt glaciers

It is us who are forced to flee.

But I don’t see the people who blow up mountains

Getting lung cancer from inhaling soot.

I am surprised.

She came here to learn from me.

But I’m learning from her.

Maybe with her I can find connection again.

Whatever may come I know one thing.

I have the power

To make a change.

Too much to change, so little to help me.

I came here to learn from her.

Now I know I have the power

To make a change.

Note: This was written for the 'Queens Commonwealth Essay Competition' in response to the topic "An overseas visitor is coming to your town for the first time. How would you connect with them?". It received the bronze award.