2 mothers in a h d b playground is a poem by Singaporean poet Arthur Yap. The poem was published in the collection Down the Line (1980). Like many of Yap’s poems, it reproduces snatches of overheard conversation, often to reveal their superficiality. Two mothers, discussing their children, boast and try to out-do each other.
ah beng is so smart, already he can watch tv & know the whole story. your kim cheong is also quite smart, what boy is he in the exam? this playground is not too bad, but i’m always so worried, car here, car there. at exam time, it’s worse. because you know why? kim cheong eats so little. give him some complan. my ah beng was like that, now he’s different. if you give him anything he’s sure to finish it all up. sure, sure. cheong’s father buys him vitamins but he keeps it inside his mouth & later gives it to the cat. i scold like mad but what for? if i don’t see it, how can i scold? on saturday, tv showed a new type, special for children. why don’t you call his father buy some? maybe they are better. money’s no problem. it’s not that we want to save. if we buy it & he doesn’t eat it, throwing money into the jamban is the same. ah beng’s father spends so much, takes out the mosaic floor & wants to make terazzo or what. we also got new furniture, bought from diethelm. the sofa is so soft. I dare not sit. they all sit like don’t want to get up. so expensive. nearly two thousand dollars, sure must be good. that you can’t say. my toa-soh bought an expensive sewing machine, after 6 months, it is already spoilt. she took it back but …….. beng, come here, come, don’t play the fool. your tuition teacher is coming. wahl kim cheong, now you’re quite big. come, cheong, quick go home and bathe. ah pah wants to take you chya-hong in new motor-car.
Arthur Yap was noted for his fascination with language. He deliberately avoided formal touches (such as capital letters or elaborate punctuation), producing conversations from real life. He was particularly interested in Singapore English, which borrows elements from local languages. Yap used subtle irony to highlight the grammatical errors of Singaporeans such as the two mothers here. Their language reveals their social ambitions, but also suggests a sense of cultural dislocation.
Many consider Singapore a successful example of a modern, multiethnic Asian society. But Singapore’s economic success has also meant the adoption of many American ways. Observers such as Arthur Yap have noted the strange confusion of cultural identities that has resulted, particularly among younger urban classes. In this poem, the chattering young mothers, comparing children and furniture and sewing machines, reveal the shallow materialism of their lives.
Nevertheless, Yap’s touch is light, and his portraits of such people remain affectionate, for all their irony. His clever use of verbal effects to allow characters to speak for themselves shows the power of contemporary language to uncover truths about human nature.
Arthur Yap was one of Singapore’s leading poets and critics. His Chinese name was Chor Hiong.
