While "Fruits" leans toward the positive, it stands in conversation with other poems like "In the Street of Fruit Stalls," which contrasts the vibrant, glowing juice of fruits—shining like "gold or silver"—against the darkness of a war-torn or impoverished setting. In Goh’s broader body of work, such as Lines from Batu Ferringhi , he often balances this sense of natural peace with the "havoc" of the city and the internal "rest" of the spirit.
Before examining the verses, one must understand the backdrop. Goh Poh Seng wrote during Singapore’s tumultuous post-independence years (mid-1960s to 1980s). As the nation bulldozed jungles for housing estates and traded kampungs for condominiums, Goh feared a collective amnesia. His response was not to write manifestos, but to immortalize the vanishing textures of everyday life.
So let's indulge, in this fruit delight Savoring each bite, with pure pleasure and light For in the flavors, and colors so bright We find joy and health, in the beauty of fruits tonight.
However, notice the verbs. The rambutan "with" their hair; the durian is "thorn-defended, kind." Goh personifies each fruit, giving them character and agency. The durian, notoriously feared by Westerners for its smell, is called "kind" because its thorny exterior protects a custardy heart. This is a poet who understands that ugliness or danger often guards the most tender truths.
Goh uses vivid descriptions of sight and taste (e.g., "green and red and both sweet") to immerse the reader in the garden's abundance.
But notice the tension. The very lushness is excessive, almost desperate. It is the extravagance of a feast held on the eve of a siege. The poem’s true subject is not the fruit’s presence, but the shadow of its absence.
