Pannir Selvam
Pannir Selvam a/l Pranthaman was born on July 31, 1987, as the third of six children in an ethnic Indian family in Ipoh, Malaysia. He was well known by many people in his life for his enthusiasm and his capability as a young, hard-working man. Pannir was described as a kind person who helped those in need and was loving toward his family. On September 3rd, 2014, the 27-year-old Pannir was arrested at the Woodlands Checkpoint after being discovered possessing drugs while entering Singapore. During his trial in the High Court, he defended himself by saying that he was acting on orders and was unaware of the contents of his delivery, as he had been promised that the proceeds would be large and promising, allowing him to recover his financial losses. In May 2017, Pannir was found guilty of his crime, thus awaiting his death sentence in Singapore. He wrote these poems while serving his sentence.
Death Row Literature
An exhausted soul of a mother,
Seeking refuge for her son.
A tragic vision of purposeful blindness.
The premonition of death descending,
Like the dark shadow of night upon the day.
Concrete wall of hades build by blood,
Were decorated with crawled hand prints,
Like a symbol of desperate pleads,
From an extended hand of a disabled mind.
There’s a trace of urgency on that shade,
As if there’s a hidden message engraved,
On the wrinkles of those haunted palms,
As though it seeks a voice of a messenger,
To spoke its death row literature,
As the last hope for the future,
As it’s last sign,
Before it’s lost in its last sleep.
Handcuffs, shackles chain, black veil,
Trap door, lethal chamber, executioners,
Devotely sang a murderous chorus,
As if cheering for evil to take its form,
Enticing death to breathes,
Through the sorrow of a loved one,
To roams and dwells,
At the end of venomous needle,
At the circle of knotted cord,
At the edge of sharpen sword,
It reside inside the bullet shell,
It sat nonchalantly as if an invisible ruler,
At the throne of an electric chair,
To disembowel and devour,
The scorched fresh and soul of a “thing”,
Just a second ago was called “human being”.
Death penalty isn’t a silver bullet,
Every life is sacred,
Let’s not make it a secret.
Advocate of death,
Greedy for more dead bodies.
Adamant to the core,
For more blood to pour,
Telling killing is the cure
To keep the stage pure.
They said – “There’s freedom of expression here
We asked – “Is there freedom “after” the expression”
We can’t change the past,
But present is the future’s past,
It’s about time,
For us to act fast.
I do miss you… Sometimes.
This is the truth.
I do miss you. Sometimes.
There are days where space ceases to exist.
There are moments time refuse to resume,
As if the present, future and past,
All were blending to become one,
As if the rhythm of life,
Resolves in memories of us.
Vision of your image formed in my mind,
Like a perfection of a mesmerizing moon,
On the calm lake under the curtain of beauty night.
Your sweet smile is like a ray of hope,
That heals the broken soul.
The warmness of your touches,
Are like a life-blood to my heart beat.
The calmness of your voice,
Is like a symphonic poem amid the chaos.
The fragrance of your breath,
Makes even the roses burn with jealous.
The gravity in your eyes,
Strong enough to cause even an avalanche.
Everything about you is so precious,
But it’s too late before I realize,
I have lost my treasure.
I didn’t know then,
That “these days” we spend together,
In future – would be “these days”,
Days – that would drain my soul when I reminisce.
Portal where I would lose myself to find us.
I didn’t know – then,
That there would never be someone like you.
I didn’t know – then,
That everything I wanted to tell you,
But I didn’t – would be penned down on this piece of paper,
I didn’t know – now,
If you would ever read this,
But if you do,
This the truth,
I do miss you – sometimes…
In The Darkness of Night
In the darkness of night,
I’m bleeding by stabs of silences,
It’s been my loyal companion,
Yet still I stand with resilience,
For me, being alone,
Doesn’t mean, living alone,
I hear whispers in the wind,
Telling me to keep cope,
Voices in my mind,
Telling me to keep hope,
Learn to be strong…
Through all the streams…
In the darkness of night,
Is it possible for the fallen,
To seek the light?
Or are they doomed,
To just sit tight,
To give up without a fight?
I learned, without the dark night,
The moon can’t shine bright,
Without the dark night,
I can’t appreciate the beauty of the starlight…
Even now, they’re out of my sight,
I’ll be there when the time is right.
Isn’t Just Her Name
Angel…
Isn’t just her name,
She stays true.
In person and heart,
Just the same,
One and only lil’ sister,
Grace yet fighter,
Of the love of four brothers,
She braces even twister,
Days in, days out,
She fight so hard,
So those cold heart’s.
Can learn to warm up.
Isn’t just her name,
She’s an angel,
With invisible wings,
Soar high chase your dreams,
Afraid not of furious winds,
Pursuit what your heart screams,
Always our family’s lil’ queen.
On each visit’s departure,
I’m hacked and ruptured,
Separated by plexi structures
Your laughters and letters,
Are my motivated factors,
For now… that’s what matters,
With the hope. For the days,
To get better… till then…
Far apart by hundreds of miles,
Yet we’re close,
Moments I remember your smiles.
Till Our Last Breaths
It’s not that we’re there for you,
It’s always been… still being,
And will always be,
You are there for us…
Immortalized my thoughts and words,
By remembering your name,
Take away others pain,
Is always your aim,
For the love,
That you gave,
Hated and bullets
How they repay.
A soldier,
Whose missions are major,
A teacher,
Who always reach us,
Can’t compare. You,
To all the world’s riches,
Because for us… you’re far more precious…
A poet who always inspires,
A voice that addresses bias,
A voice that puts our mind at rest,
A voice that motivates to give our best.
Till our last breath…
We march together as comrades,
May God bless…
All the hearts that cared.
For more info reading on Pannir visit here and here.
