Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Poetry 2020complete | Page 128

The Greater Dream
Singapore International School (Hong Kong), Boey, Jun Xin - 14
Deep in the heart of the oriental world
Lies a land
Unlike the empires of old
Where ordinaries like us,
Are carried away by a vision of the future and the past
Like a musky yet fragrant autumn wind
Lost in the moment,
They dream
Of sunsets over a city
Where the living and electronic mingle
Indifferent to the abyss separating both
No one seems to notice
Or maybe care
That sometimes the phrase “recharge” is literal
They dream
Of trees that glow
With the lights from houses
Shining no matter what time of the year
And the dull buzz of electric vehicle chargers,
Standing by like dutiful workers
They dream
Of a world filled with 1 metre neon light boards,
Coexisting with colossal LED screens
With skinny anorexic models in too fitting clothes
Screaming unrealistic weight loss slogans
Adjacent to the ancient beauty shops
Advertising Shanghai pedicures
They dream
Of streets filled with noisy “cha chan ting”s*
Next to Michelin starred French fine dining
Serving foie gras and Escargot on silver platters
And let’s not forget the street food hiding at every corner
Merchants hawking Portugese egg tarts, grilled squid, Char Siew** buns
A Pandora’s box just waiting to be discovered
And when opened
Will satisfy your greatest desires
While destroying your veggie only diet
But perhaps the most unexpected thing
That most people don’t realise
Is that the dream is not a mirage
That this kingdom of wires and screens and lights
All held together by the beating heart of tradition
Exists after all
*Cha chan ting: Cantonese style coffee shops
**Char Siew: Chinese Barbecue Pork