Written piece
Forbidden Eden
Hannah Nazri
Malaysia
About this piece
This poem is about making do in hardship. During the 1997 Asian financial crisis, many middle‑income families slipped into difficulty and downsized quietly. As a child, I tried to make sense of our smaller, grimy, graffiti‑marked car-the one that carried us through those years.
Crimson Red of The Seven’s possession
Not just a carriage, also an abode
For creepy crawlies and the unknown
In the blackened hilly meadows not alone
They settled to thrive as if their home–
And by the dirty screen and windows
There is a school of minnows
Of black and white such is the fashion
Here they swim so happily and so oblivious
To those giant eyes always so curious
By and by came Sebastian the Crab
Whose big scary claws drew much gasps
But he is vegan, he politely bellowed
“These are daisies for you, dear minnows,” said he
“Friends of mine, can you be?”
Soon out of gloom were the darkened meadows
As daisies bloomed across the windows
Of black and white as fashion had beaconed
With “The Painted Patriotic Eight” also bestowed
As fate had stated between Crab and Minnows
Such is the community in forbidden Eden
Existing concomitantly in symbiotic serenity
In a place where food is always aplenty
And space so prodigious to roam free
“This is home,” said they in glee
However when The Seven returned and occupied
All inhabitants; Crawlies, Crab and Minnows alike
Remained silent to protect their secrecy
As the tiny metal carcass roared in ecstasy
In callous thirsty tirade of black gold
In another tale untold.