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Poems on the MRT

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Di Hujung Tumit Sendiri / Edge of One's Heel by R. Azmann A. Rahman

 

anak-anak itu
biarkanlah berlari
menyusur kaki lima
walau sekadar mengejar bayang-bayang sendiri
di celah-celah pepohon batu
yang bersilang selirat
yang bersilang selirat

andai terjatuh
tersandung tumit kaki
terluka ibu jari
tergaris lutut
tergores siku
tertoreh luka
hulurkan saja tanganmu
ukirkan saja senyummu

ajaklah mereka ketawa
ajarkan mereka gelakkan gelabah
kenalkanlah mereka kepada lumrah
yang tidak perlu sesekali dititis dengan amarah
yang tidak perlu sesekali dibiar
membengkak dan menanah

andai tersentak
digigit rasa sakit
andai teresak
dicubit rasa perit
cukuplah suaramu menjadi penawar
menjadi tangkal kalis rebah
esok dan lusa

kerana di antara kedu dan sedu
akan tercerna pemahaman baharu
bahawa batu yang membentes itu
guru yang menunjuk ajar
luka yang berbekas itu
ilmu
yang bakal mendewasakan
tinta
yang bakal mengabadikan
pengalaman

anak-anak itu
biarkanlah berlari
kerana andai dipasung kaki
nescaya rebah nanti

di hujung tumit sendiri
di hujung tumit sendiri


Edge of One’s Heel
Written by R. Azmann A. Rahman
Translated by Annaliza Bakri

those children
let them run
along the pavement
even if they chase their own shadows
between gaps of the stone trees
that twine like a maze
that twine like a maze

if you fall
heel-tripped,
thumb-scratched,
knee-grazed,
elbow-scraped,
wound-itched,
just hold out your hand
just carve out a smile

make them laugh
teach them to roar with laughter
introduce them to reality
which need not drip with anger
which need not swell and fester

if jolted
hurt-bitten
if choked
pain-pinched
your voice is antidote enough
a shock-proof amulet
tomorrow and the days after

because between slow sobs
a new understanding will arise

that the rock that falls
the teacher who guides
the wound that scars
is knowledge that
will help us to spread
the ink
that will etch eternal
—experience

those children
let them run
for if they are chained
they will surely fall

on the edge of one’s own heel
on the edge of one’s own heel

Published in Deru Derap Dongeng-Dongengan and Other Poems written for the Golden Point Award 2021

R. Azmann A. Rahman is a Malay Language teacher with a deep passion for creative writing. He enjoys exploring different genres, from poetry to lyrics, short stories and television scripts. His poetry has earned him first prizes at the 2021 Golden Point Award and the 2019 National Poetry Festival. Writing has been a favourite pastime since he was young, and he continues to find joy in crafting stories and poems.

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Poems on the MRT is an initiative by the National Arts Council, in partnership with SMRT and Stellar Ace. Produced by Sing Lit Station, a local literary non-profit organisation, this collaboration displays excerpts of Singapore poetry throughout SMRT’s train network, integrating local literature into the daily experience of commuters. Look out for poems in English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil in trains on the East-West, North-South and Circle Lines, as well as videos created by local artists and featuring local poets in stations and on trains. The Chinese, Malay, and Tamil poems are available in both the original languages and English. To enjoy the full poems, commuters may read them on go.gov.sg/potm.

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