Gombak is not your name

Poems on the MRT Writing Competition by Sing Lit Station. Find my poem under Sengkang and Bukit Gombak at www.poemsonthemrt.com!

𝗚𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗮𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗲

For twenty years, you were my station;
from primary school to university
but Bukit Gombak is not your name–
there is no hill called Gombak here,
or any roads bearing the same
yes, there’s Gombak Drive–
where MINDEF is, sir,
but not where the station was built;
maybe not a place worthy of salute
there used to be Gombak Gardens–
but referred to that no longer,
now it’s Bukit Batok East Gardens
and can you still remember;
Gombak was an opposition ward
maybe a short history we forgot,
or maybe Bukit Batok North–
its proposed name, might be correct
but who’s to say, the names we neglect
shall never see the light of day
and if the station was built today,
I don’t think they will name it Gombak–
they will choose Little Guilin probably;
historical value, they will claim
and because Gombak is not your name.

𝗞. 𝗛𝗮𝘇𝘄𝗮𝗻, 𝗡𝗼𝘃 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱