A kampong house - Circa 1960s

"Home is where the heart is"

A kampong house

(Andrew Yip)

Just a thatched hut by the stream,
But it stays long in my lingering dream.
A kampong house that gazed upon the sea,
Obscured by blossoms and bushes under a tree.

*****

Along the old Changi beach at night,

I strolled in solitude with silent feet,

And saw new houses, flashing in floodlight,

Mock a lost kampong on a dim and dusty street.

*****

And men will dream, and dream and forever dream,

Of the carefree kampong and its old-time grace.

Some grew weary, watching the towering city gleam,

Seek the kampong magic in the old kampong place.

*****