Temporary

23 June 2023

In a broad daylight of the city’s luxury

Is a haunting lament

Passing through walls

And you will only be

Able to listen if

You’ll touch the rough edges

and press your ears close.

Hear the mumbles dampened

in different tune

of those whose feet

are not the same as yours

but singing the same song

of yearning grasses home

to freely hang arms

above the window pane,

to watch the neighbours pass by

in marching buffaloes

but again,

this is not a lifetime labour 

nor an unpaid due.

This is how a temporary

adds life to the dying

how a temporary fills the empty bowl

how a temporary paints hues for the future

how a temporary creates chain of hope

how a temporary leaves a permanent trace

Written by Janelyn Dupingay (Jane)

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