Madeleine Lee (b. 1962)
SELECTED POEMS
an excerpt from after the rain
iii awaiting a dragonfly
she dashes up
the spiral stairs
behind the
long chinese house
on telok ayer
to check that her
rooftop garden
a few pots of frangipanis
pomegranates jasmines
water lilies lotuses
are not washed away
by the sudden monsoonon the edge
of a dragon urn
a lotus bud
halfway open
somewhat cautious
awaits the fleeting visit
the buzzy titillation
of the wings of a dragonflyvii backlane
the back alley
tempts
where amoy meets telok ayer
a hawker beckons
sultry prawn and pig tail soup
drenched in salty sweat
snarling in a big aluminum pot
from the right basketshe picks up her pace
well-worn cast iron saucepan
with re-taped handle in hand
past evaporating blue grey walls
her black and white samfoo
contrasts
by Madeleine Lee
from Regarding (2018)
