At first all was normal
Hawkers shouting along the streets
Kids licking malt candy by the streets
Labourers shouting by the anchor
Storytellers exciting their audience
The sound of beggars shaking their tins of coins
Then trouble came
8th December, 1941
The sounds of explosions waked up Singapore
Cries for help
Deafening explosions
The taste of one's own blood
The last seconds of one's life
No one cared
No one bothered
Welcome to Hell
Japanese soldiers snatched babies from their mothers
Tossed them up high in the air
And were interested which of their swords would cause the loudest cry
Then came laughter from the soldiers
And the cries of mothers as they were shot
Welcome to "Prison"
A man
Listening to the radio
Minutes after, the decision to tune in to non-Japanese channels
Greatly regretted
And then he breathed his last
Welcome to "Truth"
Groans from labourers in the brick factory
Men stepping on clay
Then came a thud, as a man fainted
The next morning, he was hanging from the ceiling
The rope made of coconut husk wrapped around his neck
Japanese soldiers said he committed suicide
How true indeed
Welcome to the Japanese Occupation
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