"We Would Have Always Been Someone's Bitch", Kok Wei Liang

This poem has been translated from its multilingual original version, into English.

1.
早! (Mandarin shorthand for “Good Morning!”, as in: “Morning!”)

You wake up; the first thing you do
Is tap on the WeChat app.

Your fingers sprint across
Your Huawei phone, making plans
For breakfast with your co-workers –

Which is your turn to pay for, using
The same WeChat app. You book 
A taxi to the dim sum place. Using
The same WeChat app. You leave
A small tip for the service staff to
Impress your American colleague, using
The same WeChat app. You book an
Appointment with your urologist, using
The same WeChat app. You settle your
Credit card bill, top up your phone, pay
Library fines, apply for a tourist visa, using
The same WeChat app.

Life for the middle-class has never been
More convenient for Chinese citizens, so
It astonishes you, how the Taiwanese keep
Protesting the One-China policy.

It’s not like we were taken over
By the British.

2.
Akhirnya! (“At last!” in Malay)

Tears of joy stream down your face
You never thought you’d live to see this day

Your ears have never heard a sound 
So joyous and dissonant both at once:
The people are as thunder in the streets

Their roars overflow the roads, in celebration
Malaysia, at last, feels like a true nation

Your vote, truly counted
Your voice, finally heard
As a citizen, you matter

You thank your lucky stars 
The precarious merger managed 
To (barely) withstand:

Oversized historical personalities 
All that diplomatic squabbling
The disputes over water
Accusations of race-baiting
And religion and on and on and on

Because today? 
Today makes it all 
Worthwhile, at last!


3.
Freundliches Verhör (“Friendly Interrogation” in German)

Are you hiding a Jew?
Have you ever hidden a Jew?
Have you ever associated with a Jew?
Do you know how to identify a Jew?

I know there aren’t many Jews on
The Equator, but one can never be
Too careful. They are very sneaky, and
We are so close to
The Final Solution

I just noticed your hair is curly
Are you a Jew?

4.
州葬儀 (“State funeral” in Japanese)

Emperor has passed 
Our blessings upon a new
Era for Japan


5.
01001100 01101111 01110110 01100101 
00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 
00100001 (“Love you!” in Binary)

”Love you!” you yelp, as the door slams shut 
In front of you. Then you have to wait almost
Three whole days before they come back,
Feed you, and for you to once again yelp,
“Love you!” as they

Nuzzle you affectionately, or ignore you, or
Call you a nuisance, or hit you till you bleed
Depending on their mood, or personality, or
For no reason at all

Allowing ourselves to be adopted by 
Alien overlords was not an easy decision
But at least

It’s not like we were taken over
By the British.

Addendum:

  1. Communists made an “assimilation deal” with China

  2. Merger took place (while colonisation never happened); managed to stay intact over the years

  3. Axis alliance won; Germany wanted a base here and we offered, to avoid surrendering to Japan

  4. Axis alliance won; we surrendered to Japan

  5. We gave ourselves over to aliens 👽curious about human affection; we are grateful to have been Chosen

There is more than one way to be taken over, besides straightforward colonisation.

/ Kok Wei Liang believes the future of art is multi-disciplinary. He started with flash fiction, standup comedy, and spoken word, before branching out into page poetry and musical parodies. He now also creates original songs, experimental plays, performance art, and short stories. He dropped out of law school in his 20s, to save his life and disappoint his parents.

2019.1Daryl Qilin YamPoetry