Misrudin Anwar (affectionately known as ‘Din’), was invited by our team at Voice of Dementia, Dementia Singapore’s newsletter, to compose three poems in Malay. Known as a ‘pantun’, the poems consist of even-numbered rhyming lines to express intricate ideas and emotions.
As of 2023, Din is 75 years of age. He was diagnosed with vascular dementia in April 2019 after suffering a stroke in August 2017. Din was previously a German language teacher and often enjoyed writing Malay poems before the stroke. He and his wife, Maya Anwar, are graduates of Voices for Hope, an empowerment programme at Dementia Singapore that aims to bring persons living with dementia and their care partners on a self-advocacy journey.
Jika merenung ke arah langit
Pada bintang pada bulan
Perasaan megah usahlah bangkit
Bongkak dan sombong engkau jauhkan
Ingatlah pada bumi
Pada rumput pada lumpur
Itulah tempat kita kan pergi
Itulah tempat jasad terkubur
Translation:
When gazing at the sky,
The stars and the moon.
Let pride pass you by,
Do not let arrogance swoon.
Remember the Earth,
the grass, the mud.
Our final resting place
when our souls depart.
Din and his granddaughter, Lydia Yasmin
Sungguh indah bulan purnama
Terang menarik di balik awan
Lydia Yasmin cucu pertama
Akalnya cerdik wajah menawan
Translation:
Just as the lovely full moon,
is shining in the sky so bright.
So is Lydia Yasmin,
My brilliant and beautiful grandchild.
Ikat jerami di pohon kelapa
Jerami dibawa ke tepi muara
Jika kami mudah terlupa
Maafkan kami pesakit demensia
Ikat jerami milik cik nyonya
Untuk dibawa ke pulau seberang
Jika kami sering bertanya
Ingatan kami sudah berkurang
Translation:
Tie up the straw under coconut trees
Straw to be sent to the river banks
If we forget easily,
Excuse us, it’s the dementia.
Tie up the straw from the nyonya
To be sent across the island
We repeat our questions
Because our memories have dampened.
This post was first published in Voice of Dementia (Vol.6, Issue 1), a newsletter by Dementia Singapore.