Spoiler
Ah the "to all the tenants" poem brings me back to my first appt where I lived with a good friend of mine and her boyfriend and there were always uncomfortable little reminders of "this space is not really your space" all around too. I enjoyed the different collage of moments you use to set the tone and scene that is a little humorous and certainly relatable to those who've rented or had a shared living space, but the final stanza I think can be read in a twinge of hope or distress that the speaker is "beyond" the tight walls and restrictions of their current situation.
I liked the original of your "no boats on water" and like this too - this poem like the one before feels like a collage of moments painting a scene - it invokes an eerie quiet at first which morphs into a sleepy / peaceful quiet. With the different military conflicts all around the world at the moment "no boats on water" made me think of a nation at peace where fathers are allowed to read their children stories instead of fight/defend, and children can giggle and make noise instead of hiding. The little moments we take for granted when "nothing" is happening, are truly beautiful ones in hindsight.
Thanks for sharing your poetry Lim, looking forward to hopefully more Lim poetry this April too!
I liked the original of your "no boats on water" and like this too - this poem like the one before feels like a collage of moments painting a scene - it invokes an eerie quiet at first which morphs into a sleepy / peaceful quiet. With the different military conflicts all around the world at the moment "no boats on water" made me think of a nation at peace where fathers are allowed to read their children stories instead of fight/defend, and children can giggle and make noise instead of hiding. The little moments we take for granted when "nothing" is happening, are truly beautiful ones in hindsight.
Thanks for sharing your poetry Lim, looking forward to hopefully more Lim poetry this April too!
