Interesting Times
May you live them,
not just survive them. May
you be their agent, their instigation,
the one they bless / they blame when
everything goes to hell & back. May you be
captured in a news still, waving the flag or ripping
it down from its ruthless hoist. May you be larger
than the skin you inhabit. May your romances be epic,
your victories be real, your role in the costume drama
they make of our now win a Golden Horse. May your
utterances be remembered / productively misunderstood.
May you inspire action. May you inspire poetry,
good & mediocre. May your myth inspire terror
in the imperial guard, ten centuries hence.
& may you escape it all when you need to,
find peace in the peacelessness.
Above all, wreak a lovely
havoc. Leave the
history textbooks
stained
with
sweetest
fire.
Ng Yi-Sheng
Ng Yi-Sheng is a Singaporean writer, cultural researcher and LGBT+ activist. He formerly co-organised IndigNation: Singapore's Pride Season and co-edited GASPP: a Gay Anthology of Singapore Poetry and Prose. His books include SQ21: Singapore Queers in the 21st Century, Last Boy, A Book of Hims and Lion City.