Negara-Ku is from Yin’s collection of “Poems of Protest and Resistance.”
As children
We drank from the same cup
Ate from the same plate
Our houses were open
To each other
As adults
We sat in coffeeshops
Me with my stout
And you whatever you fancied
Talking about everything
And nothing
Without fear of offending
But that was another time
So long it seems a dream
Dream we did
Of Negara ku
Where rakyat hidup
Bersatu dan maju
But with a stroke of the pen
Negara ku
Terpechah-belah dan malu
One a bumiputra
The other not
Our distance grows wider
Our hopes turn to despair
Our anger turns to sorrow
What is our tomorrow?
How did we come to this?
They have divided us
So that they can rule
But I know
We will be friends again
As is Allah’s will
In the green fields beyond
Where flowers
Of many colours are allowed
A realm above
The greed
And ostentatious piety
Of the self proclaimed Tuans
Once more
Negara ku bersatu selalu
(The views expressed are those of the contributor)
By Yin,
(From: Poems of Protest and Resistance)
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