In the world of Tamil poetry and literature in Singapore, Latha is a celebrated name. One of the few female voices in a community still relatively dominated by men, she is known for her honest and insightful writing that delves into the nuances of minority identities and marginalised communities. Having first won the Singapore Literature Prize for Tamil Fiction in 2008, her works have since been translated into English, German and French. Most recently, she was awarded the same prize last month for சீனலட்சுமி (Cheenalakshumi), a collection of short stories that depicts the everyday lives of Singapore women in all their quirks and imperfections.
For Vogue Singapore’s October fourth anniversary issue, Latha pens a poem inspired by the theme ‘Community‘. With great candour, she writes of an inevitable journey that everyone is on—and the paths paved, taken or deviated from along the way. Below, see the original poem in Tamil, accompanied by an English translation by Latha herself.
பெருங்கவிதை
பயணிகள் கவனத்துக்கு
இது ஒரு பெருங் கவிதை
ஆம் பெருங்கவிதை
பயணம் மறந்து பயணிப்பவர்களுக்கு
இனம், சமயம், மொழி பேதமின்றி
எல்லாரும் பயணிக்கிறோம்
எல்லாவிதமான பேதங்களுக்குள்ளும்
பயணத்தில் பேதங்களைக் களைகிறோம்
முழுவதும் அல்ல
பயப்படுகிறோம்
போட்டிபோடுகிறோம்
முடியாதபோது புது விதி செய்கிறோம்
விதிக்குள் வராதவர்கள் தோற்பர்
தோற்கடிக்கப்படுவர்
விதிகள் எல்லையற்றவை
கவிதை எல்லையற்று…
– லதா
A Long Poem
Attention please,
This is a long poem
For the travellers who
Forget that they are journeying
Regardless of race, religion, or language
All of us travel
We travel into all kinds of dissonances
Dissonances do not hinder us
We pave a way for ourselves
But not totally
We fear
We compete
When we cannot,
We make new rules
Those who do not conform fail
Or will be defeated
Rules are infinite
Poetry has no boundaries…
– Latha
The October anniversary ‘Community’ issue of Vogue Singapore is available for sale online and in-store from 4 October 2024.
