Segamat

A border state

Oil palm rubber estates

A rural setting in the north

For those visiting from the south

In the fifties the English school                                            

Students go there as a rule

For the town a landmark

Surrounding grounds like a park

Teachers from all over

Education needs they cover

On Jalan Pegawai teachers' quarters

Called the enclave for schoolmasters

Wooden houses on stilts

Ungrilled doors windows this way built

At a lower level the kitchen

With a coal fired oven

Rooms airy and bright

Bathed in morning and evening light

Plank floors kind to the feet

Made to beat the heat

Both ends of the road army garrison

For foreign troops a temporary station

Blue bereted British Tommys in jungle green

Gurkhas tilted hats make them smart and clean 

The rest house a welcome stop

For food and rest travelers stop

Dr Chandran of the hospital in charge

All staff good work they discharge

In season durians galore

Stalls for travelers’ fruits kept in store

Villagers this way a living making

A nice way by giving and taking

In the rainy season isolated

River lowlands so located

OM`s bridge from the south

Washed over roads in the north

Trains ride with caution

Feeling their way in slow motion

In very bad weather airdrops for mail

Very few now can recall this tale

People of Segamat know

In daily routine to flow

Simple things to them give pleasure

This way they enjoy life and leisure

MPP
June 2015