Twelve to Two or Five to Eight by Kimberly Lium
A poem in the form of a conversation with a loved one in a coma.
First published in Pandan Weekly in July 2024.
From the author:
12-2 p.m. or 5-8 p.m. are the standard visiting hours in a hospital in Singapore. This couplet poetry reveals how the limitations of time and consciousness can impact a relationship in the long run, as seen through the perspective of a queer, comatose person.
Although the poem is built on a conversation, it is in fact, a one-sided conversation because the person in a coma is unable to respond. However, they are in fact listening and yearn to reach out for the partner that is slowly losing hope. Through hints of childhood memories and regrets between them, I also wanted to show that they have loved deeply despite the circumstances, leaving us with an open ending.
Kimberly Lium is a writer based in Singapore. In 2020, she wrote for the Sit With Me column at the Singapore Writers Festival. She is also the author of two short stories that were published in the Fish Eats Lion Redux and the FRIGHT 1 Anthology by Epigram Books, respectively. Her recent venture into poetry has led her to a publication with her poem, ‘At the Soles of your Feet’, in the Hot and Sour Magazine by SeaPoWriMo.
Instagram: @kimberlyrayeee
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