October, Singapore, An afternoon, A bus ride.

October. Singapore. An afternoon. A bus ride.

We drive by the Great Golden Durian,
its armored surface jutting out,
all angles and sharp ridges.

The bus slides into the vehicle bay,
underneath gleaming steel towers,
each buttressed by a colonial architecture underbelly.

Is Fintech a country? It sounds sovereign here.
The Singapore-Fintech Conference
could be abbreviated Sintech Con.

A burst of outdoor heat, the profusion of geometric spires:
silver latticework and indigo basket weavings
climb into the sodden sky.

To ford an impassable asphalt river, I creep along
the crumbling bank, stepping gingerly
like a forager, keeping above high tide.