MissingAlfian Sa'at

He go to school.Never come back. I make police report.Newspaper, Crime Watch. They even put his picture,He and the other boy,On poster, with reward From fast-food restaurant.

Who is talking in the poem? How do you know? Who is the He in the first line?What is the ‘He’ like?Who could ‘the other boy’ be?

I ask from the RC man:Can I have it from the Lift lobby noticeboard.He give me and also say sorry.I have it in my bedroom.Every morning with half-Open eyes I remind myselfMy son: the one on the left.

Why does the persona want the poster? Why is the word ‘also say sorry’ significant here?

Got calls come in once.Say they saw him in Penang, selling videos.Or in Bangkok, begging. Child prostitute they say.Sometimes no voice at all.Hello? Hello? Who is this?I am your son. Then hang up.

Who do you think the ‘calls’ are from? How do you think the persona is feeling here?Read the last line again. How true do you think this is?

So many things to remember.His school is still there.I walk to it sometimes;Pretend I am him.Praying come kidnap meTake me away now.Got one artist try to draw My son's grown-up face.

Why does the persona say there ‘so many things to remember’? What could be some of the things he is trying to remember?How do you know the time has passed here? Why does the persona get an artist to do draw?

I ask him draw oneFor every year. He say cannot.Got one time I was on TV.Crying, with schoolbag on my lap.Keep saying, good boy, always help meDo housework. Now I say let meDo the housework. Let me wake upTo the mess he left behind.

What is the effect created when the poet uses the word ‘schoolbag’ here?How is the persona feeling here?

What are your feelings as you read this poem?

How has society’s empathy towards the persona changed in the poem?

In pairs, rewrite the first two stanzas in grammatical correct English. Share it

with the class.

Which do you prefer and why?

Why does the poet use Singlish in this poem?

This poem is based on a true story. Which one of these boys do you think

belongs to the persona? Why?

Source: http://www.tremeritus.com/2012/03/23/25-years-ago-the-missing-mcdonalds-boys/

• On the 14th of May 1986, two 12 year old boys – Keh Chin Ann and Toh Hong Huat, went missing. Till today, they’ve not been found. Both boys left home for school as usual that fateful Wednesday. But both boys, who’re said to be good friends, never got to school.

• Today, 26 years later, both boys are still missing. If they were alive today, they would be 37 years old.

• Some people will remember both boys as the “McDonald’s Boys” because of the hefty $100,000 reward the fast-food chain had offered in exchange for information on the boys’ whereabouts back in 1986.

• But even the huge reward failed to bring forward any vital clue. The parents of the boys had hired at least thirty temple mediums to try and locate the boys but, all failed. Despite the dead ends, to date, the parents have refused to believe their sons are dead.

Extension Activity

• Walk to Sengkang MRT station• Go towards the notice board directly in front

of the 7-eleven convenient store • There is a poster which has been there for at

least 5 years• You may wish to take a picture of the poster• Compose a poem based on the poster you

saw