East 3

To be from the east is

To enjoy burgers and fries, pasta and pizza, paella and tapas and also to own smugly the careless familiarity with chicken rice and fishball noodles, dosai and idly, kueh lapis and nasi lemak

To be from the east is

To know the uber rich in palatial bungalows, the everyday man
in hdb flats and the slum dirt poor
begging in the streets of India

To be from the east is

To bask in the camaraderie of minorities, to rock jeans and tees and also look chic in cheongsams and sarees, and to be hooked onto Hollywood and Bollywood, and Kollywood and Korean drama

To be from the east is

To have words and thoughts bubble in more than one tongue, to smirk as people praise your English because they expect it to be broken, and to know customs and cultures that enrich your very blood

And

To be from the east is

To watch the tides of time turn slowly and surely
to raise us
to tower over and
Devour
The west.