Odes to Penang

[HIDDEN]

Palm trees outstretched along the shore.
And dead fish lie to dry.
The dreaded smell releases itself
To the noses of passers-by.

The stenching smells of local fruit
Suggest the awful taste.
Yet locals eat it greedily
and eat it in such haste.

Surrounding kampong villages
And houses made of attap,
Palm trees lean against each other
As attaps overlap.

Padi fields of seed and grain,
Are ploughed with willing hands.
The water buffalo does his share
By turning up the lands.

A mixture of foreign languages,
Along the village street.
Roadside stalls out on the path,
Despite the burning heat.

By Julie Nawrotzky, 5A
1970

[HIDDEN]

Of all the places I've ever been
Penang's the nicest I've ever seen.
A different language and different race
They all join together a life's present pace.

Thaipusam is what I like best of all
There are some kavadis ten feet tall!
The golden sands and tropical beaches
Are one of her many beautiful features.

Penang herself is a busy town
Ships call here from places renown.
Penang I'll learn to know you well
And I'll have many stories to tell.

Kevin Horton, 6C
1974