Daryl Lim Wei Jie (b. 1990)
1. BIOGRAPHY
2. CRITICAL INTRODUCTION
3. SELECTED POEMS
“a visit to choa chu kang columbarium, 12 Jan 2014”, “Ann Siang Hill”, “Sang Nila Reclaims the Throne” and “Upsizing” from A Book of Changes (2016)
“Domestic Bliss”, “Feeling Sorry about the Peonies” and “Singapore Pastoral” from Anything But Human (2021)
SELECTED POEMS
Domestic Bliss
The kettle boils water to a crisp
there are orang-utans in the bath again
the orchids have eaten the cockroaches
a deejay announces the end of all war
consider the compostability of things
the oranges in the fridge are dying the slowest death
adultery remains a distant fantasy
no one votes for the opposition
the toilet does everything it is told to do
wake up to the highest possible grade of birdsong
a fifth of the cutlery has been used just once
none of the doors can be locked
the smell of rain has seeped into the sugar
each room cultivates its particular version of truth
where there was silence there is now more
Feeling Sorry about the Peonies
translated from Bai Juyi’s <惜牡丹花二首>
Singapore Pastoral
The crows are muddied
with the scent
of the freshly burnt deadAround the corner
the boys rehearse the conquest
of our regional partnersThe rumour is it’s earmarked
for a spaceport, or sex tourism, despite
the swarms of mosquitoesWorld wars are ways
to avoid cremationGrandpa used to tell us
how it always smelt
of pigshitThe last tiger roams
with incredibly low
cholesterolAn old man drowns, feeding
the reeds, which we will use
to make our rice blue
