Malaysiana - Lost In Direction Poem by john tiong chunghoo

sarawak bumis so subtly they carry the tag
with them i dont even feel deprivileged among them
definitely not as an affronts this tag for them

peninsula bumis everywhere i go the glaring
overstatement of a status that makes a society
unsettled, even lost in direction at times

sarawak bumis every other race they view
as opportunities to reap talking to them with
a sincerity and friendship no words can muster
you can even call them a family

peninsula bumis every other race some sort
of a threat, and when they talk, talk to them with
a kris dangled between their words

sarawak bumis they see a destiny clearly
beyond the horizon of friendship
the other, a clouded vision marred
by a metastasis of biases and insecurities
i pray the cancer will not spread

(the third stanza can also be written thus)

sarawak bumis every other race they view
as opportunities that only friendship can earn
they speak to them with a sincerity
no words can muster
you can even call them a family