The Planners

• "They plan. They build. All spaces are gridded."

  Anaphora draws attention to the unknown planners. The pronoun used to describe them - shows the distance between the narrator. "gridded" suggests mathematical. Caesura - stop-start pace, methodological, unemotional, robotic in a sense.
• The buildings are in alignment with the roads

  which meet at desired points

  linked by bridges all hang

  in the grace of mathematics.

  Enjambment - flows pace, along with the idea of grace. Yet the strange grammatical structure suggests something is off, sinister - the word hang could be referring to execution; this mathematical precision is killing humanity and nature.
• They build and will not stop.

  Even the sea draws back

  and the skies surrender.

  Sibilance - highlights the quiet calamity of nature which juxtaposes with the noisy destruction and construction. "surrender" connotes war, humanity is waging a war with nature and they are retreating; we are slowly killing nature. Also highlights the futility of the speaker, if the seas cant do anything, how can he?
• knock offuseless blocks

  Evokes a sweeping force

  Assonance + consonance

• "plugged with gleaming gold" - not all good: The "g" sound is guttural and sounds like being gagged or choked. image of fake gold teeth, supposed to be beautiful but it appears fake and distasteful. trying to "plug" history with gold.
• dental metaphor -The history and culture of the country is being killed
• Gold symbolises wealth and prosperity but also greed
• The country wears perfect rows of shining teeth. Anaesthesia, amnesia, hypnosis.

  extended metaphor: teeth represent beauty and symmetry, but also smthn sinister of being so perfect. "wears" personifies the country, wearing a disguise? covering smthn up? Asyndeton backs this up, think about each word and consequences. (distracting citizens of their culture)
• They have the means.

  They have it all so it will not hurt,

  so history is new again.

  The piling will not stop.

  The drilling goes right through

  the fossils of last century.

  End stopped lines - matter of fact tone, speaker is numb w realisation. "piling" and "drilling", they'll keep going until nothing is left, cutting so deep into the Earth. 1. fossil fuels reliance hurting earth. 2. ripping history from the roots.
• But my heart would not bleed

  poetry. Not a single drop

  to stain the blueprint

  of our past’s tomorrow.

  City so emotionless, speaker can't think of any inspiration for poetry. Grief of helplessness stifles creativity. "blueprint" refers to the technical architectural planning, no room for emotion or a soul.
• structure

  • free verse - speaker trying to go against the control, longing for culture and emotion
  • lines are cut short - rigid like the planners
• "so history is new again"

  past and history are not the same. past remains the same, yet history - the interpretation of it - is being altered, erasing hints of cultural identity.
• personal response

  the poem refers to Singapore, supposedly rich with culture, but underwent major industrialisation in the 60s. humanity so desperate to perfect cities and society, that we are destroying our humanity.