Poem-A-Day April 7: a little red dot is

Hello Friends,

Today’s poem by Shivram Gopinath was published as part of the Academy of American Poets Poem-a-Day series on August 15, 2023. Gopinath writes about this poem: “Singapore, my adopted home of more than two decades, is often called the ‘Little Red Dot’ — a reference to its appearance on maps as a tiny scarlet speck. A ‘pottu’ is also a little (often red) dot worn on a Tamil woman’s forehead. Connecting these dots gave rise to feelings of missing my home while being in one, imposter syndrome, hunger, nausea, performance anxiety, gratitude, and a kind of belonging to longing — a longing that I hope the reader feels for an object of their desire.”

Also for reference reading this poem: “makaan orredi?” is a Singaporean phrase for “eaten already?”, and angsana is a kind of tree native to Southeast Asia.

Enjoy.
Ællen