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Lisa Lim

Poetry is “a luxury we cannot afford”, Singapore’s founding prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, said many years ago. He intended it to be a maxim for the then-fledgling nation to focus on matters more pressing and of greater practical value for its survival.
Yet poetry’s worth is widely recognised as surpassing luxury.
On a different continent, poetry became a companion to the daily commute, with poems – classic, new, translated – displayed in London Underground trains and stations. The subway operator’s first collection appeared in January 1986.
The “Poems on the Underground” project is nearly 40 years old now and hundreds of poems have been displayed for people going about their everyday to ponder, find amusement in, and be inspired.
“We were small and thought we knew nothing / Worth knowing. We thought words travelled the wires / In the shiny pouches of raindrops …” – The Railway Children, Seamus Heaney; Poems on the Underground, January 1986.
In Singapore, in the same vein, “Poems on the MRT” was launched on the Mass Rapid Transit network, initially with six poems on in-train panels in 1995; there have been several iterations of the project over the years.

The current iteration of the programme – more than half a century after Lee’s pronouncement – presents excerpts from over 100 poems by Singaporean writers in trains and stations, and runs until October 2025.
Notably, they encompass writings in Singapore’s four official languages, English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil, highlighting the value not just of poetry but of languages other than English. Its tagline “moving people with words” drives home poetry’s impact.
生活就像写诗 / 写诗美丽着生活 ‘Life is like composing a poem / writing poetry brings beauty to life’ – 温柔的城市 / A Gentle City, Chan Kok Peng, pen name “Yu Fan”; Poems on the MRT 2024/25.

In and beyond cities, poetry is appreciated for its power to connect people across borders. Poetry’s transformative role in promoting peace, creativity and inclusion was highlighted on World Poetry Day, March 21, an annual event which aims to amplify diverse voices, including those from marginalised communities, and serve as catalyst for cultural exchange and social unity.
In this spirit, one powerful movement that has emerged has been the migrant voice in poetry, notably in Asian urban centres with significant populations of migrant workers.
The collectives Migrant Writers of Singapore and Migrant Writers of Hong Kong, established in 2014 and 2021 respectively, afford opportunities – writing workshops, poetry exhibitions, arts events – for these communities to connect safely and inclusively, hone writing skills and build resilience.
Singapore’s Migrant Worker Poetry Competition, held annually since 2014, offers a platform for the literary talents of these usually invisible and silent members of society. This has spawned award-winning publications of migrants’ writings and anthologies, including in languages such as Bengali.
“Still in the same world, we belong to different spheres / You on that side and me on this” ~ Pocket 2, Zakir Hussain Khokon (translated from Bengali), 1st Migrant Worker Poetry Competition winner.

In 2024, Migrant Writers of Hong Kong also saw the publication of an anthology of poetry, photographs and artwork by dozens of foreign domestic workers, who write about family, hardship, love and sacrifice, not only in English but also in their heritage languages, accompanied by Chinese translations for Hong Kong readers.
Presented in a dust jacket styled after Filipino balikbayan boxes, it is entitled Ingat, meaning “take care” or “remember” in Tagalog and Indonesian.
Visibility, inclusion, remembrance, care – these are certainly things poetry should afford.
“Simple words yet it makes a person to be jolly / Say it now, let everybody happy / Spread the word, be a blessing / You’ll never know whose heart you touch / Keep saying, Ingat” – Miles Away, Rema Tabangcura, Ingat.


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Poetry is a necessity we can afford today, and public displays make it easier to absorb

One of the poems displayed in trains in Singapore under the  “Poems on the MRT” programme. Photo: Facebook/National Arts Council Singapore

The “Poems on the MRT” project on Singapore’s urban rail network began in 1995. Photo: Facebook/National Arts Council Singapore

Slam poet Deborah Emmanuel, whose stage name is ArunDitha, performs at the launch of the current Poems on the MRT programme. Photo: Facebook/National Arts Council Singapore

Members of Migrant Writers of Hong Kong at a recent event. Photo: Facebook/Migrant Writers of Hong Kong

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Lee Kuan Yew’s maxim that poetry was an unaffordable luxury was of its time. These days it is widely appreciated, and not just in Singapore


Lee Kuan Yew’s maxim that poetry was an unaffordable luxury was of its time. These days it is widely appreciated, and not just in Singapore.


Singapore

Hong Kong culture

Language Matters

Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


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Poetry is a necessity we can afford today, and public displays make it easier to absorb

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Lee Kuan Yew’s maxim that poetry was an unaffordable luxury was of its time. These days it is widely appreciated, and not just in Singapore

Lee Kuan Yew’s maxim that poetry was an unaffordable luxury was of its time. These days it is widely appreciated, and not just in Singapore