Flavors are thriving
For Singaporean cuisine
The vibe is viving.
You accommodated so many fellows
That they hybridized cultures of two
That they've treated me so much well
That they gave me an enjoyable mood
I've enjoyed it by my intrinsic will
And enjoyed it for the public good
I've once been accepted by full
And been trusted with possible could
I've been missing it since a sudden leave
And I've kept my pursuits in my heart
I've been waiting for the coming forgive
Till the going back has listed in a chart
I must honestly express my gratitude
As they offered me the life that I should
La capinera's wintering pieces of tropic tunes
The garden warbler's echoes of dark melodies
Post-colonial poets return by summering fortunes
Learnt by rote as sacred Oxbridge duties
Note
The French "pantoum" may be modeled on the Malay pantun,
or at least it may aspire to, but it does not adhere to its
fundamental compositional criteria. For the original prototype,
cf. T. Wignesan, "The Poietics of the Pantun" in Journal of the
Institute of Asian studies, Vol. XII, n° 2 (Chennai), March 1995,
pp. 1-15; reproduced with corrections in T. Wignesan. Sporadic
Striving amid Echoed Voices, Mirrored Images and Stereotypic
Posturing in Malaysian-Singaporean Literatures. Allahabad:
Cyberwit.net, 2008, pp. 49-67.
(c) T. Wignesan - Paris, 2012
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