Goh Poh Seng — Fruits Poem By

Furthermore, the phrase "the stain of mangosteen purple" has entered Singaporean English as a shorthand for unpretentious, grounded nostalgia. You might hear a marketing copywriter say, "We need the mangosteen stain—not the brochure version of heritage."

While "Fruits" leans toward the positive, it stands in conversation with other poems like "In the Street of Fruit Stalls," which contrasts the vibrant, glowing juice of fruits—shining like "gold or silver"—against the darkness of a war-torn or impoverished setting. In Goh’s broader body of work, such as Lines from Batu Ferringhi , he often balances this sense of natural peace with the "havoc" of the city and the internal "rest" of the spirit. fruits poem by goh poh seng

: The poet describes the "perfect forms" and "rounded" shapes, suggesting that nature's creations are inherently artistic and complete. Furthermore, the phrase "the stain of mangosteen purple"

Papayas and pears, a harmonious pair Kiwi and peaches, beyond compare The scent of durians, strong and free A tropical taste, for you and me : The poet describes the "perfect forms" and

The concluding lines of the poem introduce a darker, more pragmatic reality, which the presence of the fruit helps to mitigate. The "Ill" of the Future