At Repulse Bay, I call out your name
1000 times to the sea and the sea does not call back
at the 1001st time a seagull swoops down
and grasp at my word
the way it would catch a fish
seeing the world for the first time from the surface of the sea.

At Repulse Bay, a map-maker proposed to his beloved
yet she refused
later he tried again and she agreed
at another place another time
Hence the name was engraved into the maps the water the collective consciousness
What a fun way of interpreting history don’t you think.

At Repulse Bay
I hear the waves making soothing sounds
at dusk
and I imagine it must be soothing too
to hear your murmurs.

At Repulse Bay
I venture too close to the sea
and the waves lick at my shoes
I let out a laugh at first
then scowl at my soaked shoes
Would have been better
had I worn flip flops
because no one in their right mind
would go to sea in late winter
to brood
except for a girl like me

At Repulse Bay
I look out to the outlying islands
and I believe more firmly than ever
that we, too, inhabit islands of our own
just that mine floats near the equator
and yours is firmly planted in the North Pole.

At Repulse Bay
I think of Eileen Chang
and her only story about Hong Kong
the first I ever read from her
Would we still stand together
even when the world fell
and only a wall was left standing
in Repulse Bay?

Full poem at https://aliceinhkland.wordpress.com/2018/03/10/poem-at-repulse-bay/

[Poem] At Repulse Bay

An Exclamation from the Depth of the Dark Universe, Surrounded by Sparkling Stars

My type of fictional love letter (as I imagine it should take the form of):

“Dear…

Ever since meeting you I can’t help but feel a powerful attraction to you…

This is not a declaration of love, even though I dread that it has become one while secretly hoping that indeed it would. There is no product placement in this text, and with every day not orbiting in your trajectory I stray further away from your promise of embrace and wealth of knowledge and into the wilderness of my discomfort zone.”

https://aliceinhkland.wordpress.com/2020/06/15/an-exclamation-from-the-depth-of-the-dark-universe-with-sparkling-stars/

Alicia Changi