Along the winding canal where there was once

A long swath of overgrown grass,

That turned into mud whenever it rained,

Overnight, it was all gone.

The unruly ‘lallang’ removed, soil levelled,

And the ground topped over with concrete.

 

And yet, scarce months later,

The first green shoots sprouted up

And out through every single gap,

Nook and cranny in the concrete.

Modernity cannot be stopped,

But nature always finds a way.

 

© 2017 S Phua