Florence NgMy call to you the outlaw who got your way to play in our water, in front of so many
eyes, without paying taxes or having sweated your butt off for a job,
The rogue who tusked down rules of traffic, burst through fences, skirted CCTV
and mobile snapshots just to cool the bites of midges,
The daredevil who despite the local lore of saltwater blistering swimmers all over proved
its innocence,
The hideous who proclaimed to city critters that a harbour shouldn’t just be a showcase
of yachts, ocean liners, cargo carriers or the rubber duck,
The savage who knew no gapes, glares, scowls, flagged fingers, foul mouths nor threats
of guns but followed the smell of the horizon,
The fugitive who would rather drown in vastness of unknown than be repatriated to the
same pig-pit,
To all those who are pigheaded, rough and questioning,
With you the furred-and-clawed in me is howling in unison.
Florence Ng is from Hong Kong. She handmade and self-published 200 copies of her poems in 2001. In 2006 she co-founded Kubrick Poetry with friends and has held regular meetings since then.
“This poem was a response to the last prompt of David Tait’s course Tales from the World City. As one of the three tasks, we were asked to write an ode to the city. There was really once a wild boar which took a swim in Victoria Harbour. It was apparently enjoying itself when someone spotted it and reported to the police. In the end the boar drowned itself while being seized by the police. Writing this poem gave me an opportunity to explore why this news story sticks in my memory and won’t go.”
Absolutely love this poem!
A big thanks to you for giving us this homework prompt, and your encouragement and comment too. Look forward to writing more poems under your guidance on the coming course.
An astounding poem,Flo,well done!
Thanks, Sheila. 😀
I doff my hat to you Flo – The poem and the boar is fierce and free and a reminder to us all about how we choose to live our lives. Thank you. Very happy to see this poem get published here – for the world to see.
So moved by your comments, Elly. Lost for words …
I love this poem so much, thank you! So much that I borrowed your magnificent last line for the caption on a “Happy Wild Boar Year!” print trade project at our local coop community letterpress shop. Somehow perfectly captures the zeitgeist of our times…
Thanks for your comment, Devon. I am happy that the poem resonates with you and thanks for telling me about the project. Is there a link to the site of your project which allows me to learn more about it?
Thanks for the reply Florence, Hello! Here’s some links of Community Print letterpress in Olympia, WA US
https://communityprintolympia.tumblr.com/
https://www.facebook.com/communityprintolympia/
In other boar-related news, I’m planning to visit my nephew on Ogijima Island in Japan this fall where he hunts the wild boar who swim to the island (this is a public service too, it’s a very small island!) and then serves the resulting bacon in his family cafe. All the best to you, and hope you’re writing more poetry.