Walking to the Istana

A poem for the 70 individuals who walked to Singapore's Istana to deliver 140 letters to the PM on 2 Feb 2024, as part of the National Day of Solidarity with Palestine. 3 of them--Sobikun Nahar, Siti Amirah Mohamed Asrori, and Annamalai Kokila Parvathi--were ridiculously charged with disturbing public order by illegally organizing, or abetting with organizing, a public procession in a prohibited area.





Walking to the Istana

They do not need a head nor do they want a tail.
They are all heads, all eyes, all mouths, all legs, all hands,
umbrellas up against the onslaught of the sun.

They are cool, and young as the crescent moon
lighting up lovers' rendezvous and drinking parties
and the unworldly debates of secret handshakes.

They know of others who also walked such roads,
when buses were divided into front and back,
when a state was crossed to pick up a handful of salt.

They understand they can easily be replaced
by those coming up behind them, even younger,
smarter, and stronger, running where they walk.

Rising up for democracy, peace, justice, equality,
if they do not fly a flag nor follow due process,
they, all of them, certainly walk with you, Progress.

Jee Leong Koh










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