The writer & editor A.O. in his usual stance & presentation. It did make you wonder. How would one describe it? In the old TV comedy skits the bystander who has just witnessed some kind of faux pas, and syncing his reaction with the canned laughter, helps the audience along to partake. Pregnant blankness. Innocent fall guy. When he and his friend Othman are allowed a separate table in order to continue their usual Sunday afternoon conference at Al Sarah, A.O.
answers in his second language, Conference of Birds... A long, deep return like that restores the man somewhat. The reference needed WikiP and then an addition to the TBR file. (Another Sufi poet appealed.) The echo of the American painter had caused some confusion. A. O. owned the common shyness of the writer and observer. Forced In Singapore to the challenge of English, he had eventually given up his notional valuable citizenship and migrated over the Causeway to Malaysia. A few years he had taught in some senior colleges in the Northern States there, but his roots were after all in the Southern Republic. Many Singaporeans resorted to the lines of popular songs, advertising jingles and the like in their exchanges, even with their own ethnic group. Possibly they deployed the old traditional pantuns too, if their access had not been denied them. Some years ago A. O. had participated in one of the well-known writers' workshops in the States. Thus far all his writings were in Malay and he was struggling to find an audience.
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