River Dance

Like a blooming flower she blossomed; the budding
of an undeveloped fishing village; the swamplands.
Then sprang the ports, harbours, the boats of foreign and local;
they danced along her main river, to the tune of different tongues.
Watered her, nurtured her; brought about the growth
that eventually made her what she became.

The buildings rose, overshadowed the rich history beneath the waters,
Reducing its life to the clicking of cameras and casual tours
that thrived on the mere ghosts of the past.
Village to port; port to city; city to nation, but the never-ending search
for survival stayed evident throughout her history,
like that of a plant yearning for the essence, of sunlight.
One step; then two, and a whole new journey that began with
nothing more than the hands of her people to pick her up.

And how she proved to everyone that she was capable of so much more
than they had expected, as a little island, called Singapore.

Agatha Marie Low
4E