Rural Abode - Urban Remote Poem by Noor Othman

The 3rd medical school it was destined to be
Located in faraway land, far from any big city
While the 2 senior sisters are in the zone of neon lights
This particular one is in the state of ‘wau-bule' kite

The name of the place is Kubang Kerian
Unheard of by most till this School came around
At the beginning it faced many obstacles
The Penang buildings not ready nor KK land available

The early years began in the campus at Minden
Where Minah Curry House was our favorite joint
‘Nasi kandar', ‘mee mamak', we have left them behind
We return to Minden every now and then

The road to the School was just gravel rock
Around it was nothing but disorganized block
"Is this the place? " We asked as we walked!
The scene was bad; all of us were in shock!

Every day, conversations were on snakes!
They seem to appear from lands and lakes
Thinking of it now we laugh till body shakes!
To us then, they were worse than earthquakes!


This was my first attempt at writing poem. Coincidentally I wrote this on Merdeka [Independence] day of Malaysia,31st August 2004. This poem was reflection of how I felt when I moved to rural Kelantan from urban Penang in 1990. Minden is the site where the Penang Campus is built. ‘Wau-bule' is the name of traditional kite in Kelantan. ‘Nasi kandar' and ‘mee mamak' are famous foods in Penang.