Kampung Baru* – A Poem

Buka puasa*
“Allahu Akbar”*
greeting those
descending from
the LRT*
to Kampung Baru
silence and calm
a rooster struts
near Stables Steak House
fancy restaurants
right below
their high rise abodes
far removed from what
would have been
to have gotten the
name Kampung Baru.
A few stilt houses
Still remain –
One so beautiful #108
with a manicured lawn
garden seat and rustic swing
urns of pottery askance.
To behold
the gigantic view –
the Twin Tower*
in the sky line
this icon that
claimed the identity
of Kuala Lumpur…

Streets lined with
the most numerous of
wares both edible and non
some smoking others freezing
the lukewarm and fresh
snake fruit, dragon fruit
pulasan, what else
“got so much lah
you cannot tell”.

It must be pasar malam* day. (27-08-11)
in Kampung Baru.

Sharmini Jayawardena
01-09-11

*literally – New Village in bahasa malayu, (Malay language), or Kampung Bharu, is a Malay enclave in central Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Wikipedia)
*breaking fast during Ramadan
*call to prayer
*Light Rail Transit
*the Petronas Twin Tower in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia??, is the tallest twin tower on the planet with 88 levels, and is an awesome sight to behold, marking the skyline of the city.
*night market

 




 





 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *