Poem: Monsoon History By Shirley Geok-lin Lim

#72
29th May

"KRINNNGGG!!! KRRINNGG!!!"

"CLASS STAND!!!"

"GOOD AFTERNOON TEACHER!!!"

"GOOD AFTERNOON STUDENTS, SIT DOWN!!!"

"THANK YOU TEACHER!!!"

"STUDENTS, TODAY I TEACH YOU A POEM, MONSOON HISTORY BY SHIRLEY GEOK-LIN LIM."

"TEACHER, WHO IS SHIRLEY GEOK-LIN LIM??"

"SHIRLEY GEOK-LIN LIM IS A FAMOUS POET IN MALAYSIA AND AMERICA. SHE WAS EDUCATED IN MALACCA, THE UNIVERSITY OF MALAYA AND BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY, MASSACHUSETTS, WHERE SHE RECEIVED A PH.D. IN ENGLISH AND AMERICAN LITERATURE. HER POEMS HAVE APPEARED IN THE ANTHOLOGIES "A PRIVATE LANDSCAPE (KUALA LUMPUR, 1968)", "THE SECOND TONGUE: AN ANTHOLOGY OF POETRY FROM MALAYSIA AND SINGAPORE (SINGAPORE, 1976)" AND "THE THIRD WOMAN (BOSTON, 1980)" AND IN SOUTH-EAST ASIAN, AUSTRALIAN AND AMERICAN PUBLICATIONS INCLUDING "WESTERLY (UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AMERICA)" AND "THE VILLAGE VOICE (NEW YORK)". SHE HAS ALSO PUBLISHED SHORT STORIES IN THE ANTHOLOGY "TWENTY-TWO MALAYSIANS STORIES (HONG KONG, 1968)", "TENGGARA" AND "WESTERLY"."

"TEACHER, CAN TEACHER TALK MORE ABOUT HER??"

"OF COURSE!!! SHIRLEY LIM NOW LIVES AND TEACHES IN THE UNITED STATES. IN 1980, SHE WON THE COMMONWEALTH POETRY PRIZE FOR HER AMERICAN BOOK AWARD TWICE IN 1990 AND 1996 FOR HER ANTHOLOGY "THE FORBIDDEN STITCH: AN ASIAN AMERICAN WOMEN'S ANTHOLOGY" AND "AMONG THE WHITE MOONFACES" RESPECTIVELY."

"TEACHER, CAN WE START TO LEARN THIS POEM??"

"OK!!! OPEN YOUR LITERATURE, TURN TO PAGE 13. READ IT FIRST."

THE STUDENTS READ THE POEM LOUDLY:

THE AIR IS WET, SOAKS

INTO MATTRESSES, AND CURLS

IN APPARITIONS OF SMOKE.

LIKE FAT WHITE SLUGS FURLED

AMONG THE TIMBER,

OR SILVER FISH TUNNELING

THE DAMP LINEN COVERS

OF SCHOOLBOOKS, OR WALKING

QUIETLY LIKE CENTIPEDES,

THE AIR WALKING EVERYWHERE

ON ITS HUNDRED FEET

IS FILLED WITH THE GLARE

OF TROPICAL WATER.

AGAIN WE ARE TAKEN OVER

BY CLOUDS AND ROLLING DARKNESS.

SMALL SNAILS APPEAR

CLASHING THEIR TIMID HORNS

AMONG THE MORNING GLORY

VINES.

DRINKING MILO,

NYONYA AND BABA SIT AT HOME.

THIS WAS FORTY YEARS AGO.

SARONG-WRAPPED THEY COUNTED

SILVER PAPER FOR THE DEAD.

PORTRAITS OF GRANDFATHERS

HUNG ALWAYS IN THE PARLOUR.

READING TENNYSON, AT SIX

P.M. IN PAJAMAS,

LISTENING TO DOWN-POURING

RAIN: THE AIR TICKS

WITH GNATS, BLACK SPIDERS FLY,

MOTHS SWEEP OUT OF OUR ROOMS

WHERE TERMITES BUILT

THEIR HILLS OF EGGS AND QUEENS ZOOM

IN HEAT. WE WASH OUR FEET

FOR BED, WATCH MOTHER UNCOIL

HER SNAKE HAIR, UNBUCKLE

THE SILVER MESH AROUND HER WAIST,

WAITING FOR FATHER PACING

THE SAND AS FISHERS PULL

FROM THE STRAITS AFTER MONSOON.

THE AIR IS STILL, SILENT

LIKE SLEEPERS ROCKED IN THE PANTUN,

SHELTERED NY MALACCA.

THIS WAS FORTY YEARS AGO,

WHEN NYONYA MARRIED BABA.

"GREAT, MY FELLOW STUDENTS. NOW, I'M GOING TO TEACH YOU ALL ABOUT..."

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Well, HI my friends, I'm been so boring today so I post out this poem after I read it. This poem is fantastic and this poem showed out the rainy scene in Malacca during the monsoon season and also involved the culture of Baba and Nyonya.

For conclusion, the poem showed out the history of Malacca and the peaceful and harmony of Malaysia...

Bye!!!