(UNTITLED)

by Adibah Abbas

My walk today
took me back to Nenek’s old shophouse
that now sits on prime real estate
like that of Keong Saik Street.

All in the name of conservation, they say.
Homes get re-zoned into commercial places.

Keep the façade.
Retain the character
Preserve the culture.
All in the name of bringing in the tourist dollars.

But

How does that fancy sounding restaurant
or the atas-looking spa even capture the essence
of what used to be my playground?

The kaki lima* paved with fancy tiles
hide the chalk dust of the teng-teng lines
I used to draw.

The sturdy white grilles on the windows
doubled up as monkey bars to amuse
an overly-active child.

The colourful wooden rafters, now a decorative feature
were the peep holes we flapped
to watch for unwanted guests.
The pretty swing doors offered privacy
While letting the wind in.
No need for CCTVs and high-tech security alarms.

The high timber celings
no longer hold the trapdoors with ladders
that offer the escape routes my older cousins took
when they wanted to go on a secret rendezvous.

At the end of Keong Saik Street…
We see the Pinnacle
That echoes the domes and minaret of the Sultan Mosque
I saw in the distance from Nenek’s window.

I still hear Nenek’s voice,
in the early hours of dawn.
“Carilah menara gading.” Or
Find your pinnacle of success in life.

Old places, new spaces,
Perhaps they may make meaning to another generation after all.

5-foot way