felling

by Jonathan Chan

today the trees have been felled,

bare light glaring through the cavity, 

the patch. 

street lamps goad the eye as

foliage falls to stump and root. 

the night rushes to fill its gap, 

subterfuge to a scar. 

a lonely god watches

an undoing. 

i remember how this city plays 

with the heart, how a rupture 

shocks, blows a hole in the 

suspension of time. 

land use is a singular term. 

the wind will find new space

to blow. 

the birds must find someplace

new to rest.

Jonathan Chan is a writer and editor. Born in New York to a Malaysian father and South Korean mother, he was raised in Singapore and educated at Cambridge and Yale Universities. He is the author of the poetry collection going home (Landmark, 2022) and Managing Editor of poetry.sg. He has recently been moved by the writing of Yaa Gyasi, Chris Bernstorf, and Hala Alyan. More of his writing can be found at jonbcy.wordpress.com and on Instagram at @fivefoundings.