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Moving People With Words

Poems on the MRT

பார்வை / Look by Shivram Gopinath

 

பார்வை
ஷிவ்ராம் கோபிநாத்

பறவைகள் பறக்குது
பலமுகம் திரும்புது
பழைய பார்வைகள்
பழமென பழுக்குது

பணியுடன் கலந்த
களமொன்று கலக்குது
பயிரைப் போற்றிய பரம்பரை
பிறப்புடன் இறந்தது

பச்சை பிச்சை போட்ட
பாசி பளபளவென
பரவுது


Look
Written & Translated by Shivram Gopinath

Birds fly
Faces turn
Old looks
Ripen like fruit

A labour-drenched land flourishes
A crop-loving lineage, still-born

Moss, alms from green
spreads shiny.

Born in Chennai, India, Shivram Gopinath is a poet who has called Singapore a home for more than two decades, picking up a disdain for the typical, and a never-ending appetite for thosai along the way. His work has been heard at literary festivals, dingy bars and living rooms across the Asia Pacific. He often teaches workshops structured around poetic identity, and is co-founder of Mama Magnet, a cultural co-creator with a network of independent artists. Shivram is a twice-winning Singapore National Poetry Slam champion. Dey (Ethos Books, 2025) is his upcoming debut collection.

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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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