Today is 1 January 2010. I will celebrate this day with a poem written by my uncle Cecil Rajendra, a dissident poet and human rights lawyer who has published many books throughout his lifetime. I found this poem on the back of a card invite, stashed in between my letters and which narrowly missed its way to the recycling bin.
New Year’s Day
Today
the resolutions
(and so little time
for so many intentions)
i will be good
i will work hard
i’ll be gentler
with my children
i shall snarl less
Smile more
i’ll be a little more
generous with my affections
i will diet
i’ll do my exercises
i will cut my drinking
Give up smoking
i will be a little less
boring in my conversations
i will stop bombing
Start negotiating
Halt the killing
Commence the healing
i will try
not to hurt man or animal
i will… i will….
Today’s
that day
for resolutions
and the resolutions
come flooding in
for tomorrow
Tomorrow
the betrayals begin …
Wan Phing Lim 