Marc Nair, Singapore
Epitaph (ii), Singapore © Tay Tsen-Waye
An ekphrasis
She is that wandering dog
sniffing the scent of past lives,
reading years between years,
as the grass between heaven
and hell spills over, wild
with longing, an offering
for untethered souls
haunted by stopped seasons
Prayers bloom against granite
trees with their beveled corners.
Time is softer here, happiness
glints from mosaic that keeps
a familiar pattern; sense of home
in this grave turning to garden
This poem is an ekphrastic response to Tay Tsen-Waye’s photograph, and is taken from a larger collection of work entitled Sightlines, published by Math Paper Press.
Marc Nair is a poet and photographer from Singapore. He has published ten volumes of poetry and is a recipient of the 2016 Young Artist Award. Nair has performed spoken word for over fifteen years, representing Singapore in international poetry slam competitions. His latest collection of poetry is Sightlines, an ekphrastic collection of poems and photographs created together with Tay Tsen-Waye.