Thank you for your frank review of "First Words." My name is Peter, and I'm a young aspiring poet. My brief 21 years on this planet have taught me the value of encouragement and constructive criticism, and I would like to think that the young people who dared to speak up in "First Words" deserve encouragement and constructive criticism.

Perhaps sounding "pretentious" is a common pitfall for young writers, but shouldn't they be allowed to examine themes such as death and religion, which they must confront one day, if they have not been forced to confront them already? Young people may not give the most lucid, perceptive or clear-minded views on such subjects, but their raw reactions are often honest, brave and inspiring.

I agree that some works by young writers sound insincere. Perhaps that is because they have yet to develop the necessary linguistic skills to express their genuine responses succintly and modestly. They resort to cliches and adult-sounding terms borrowed from the limited literature they have read, which of course gives the illusion of insincerity, but does not mean that they do not mean whatthey say. This is a far lesser evil than sounding utterly sincere, when one does NOT mean what one says--a habit of many adults, I fear.

The poet of "To My Grandfather" may not have given as much thought to death as a philosopher or a doctor, but perhaps the loss of her beloved grandmother was so overwhelming that she responded with all the strength of communication that she could muster--perhaps producing an overload, but hers was a response of the heart as much as of themind, and if heryouth shows in the intellectual deficiencies of the response, then her maturity shows in the emotional urgency of the poem. She has ventured to share her personal loss in writing, and my honest opinion is that critics should be gentle as much as they are honest in commenting on such work.

Perhaps the poet of "Fall From Grace" has attempted to step into the shoes of an older, world-weary human being. Addressing the subject of judgement with a first-person voice, the poet appears to be speaking from another's perspective, not her own--sheis trying to imagine and express the emotions of an aged, unrepentant sinner. Has not a young writer of 19 the right to consider the thoughts and feelings of those much older? Are we not, in school, taught to "step into someone else's shoes" to get a wider perspective of any issue? (Perhaps this poem was the result of a class assignment along these lins?) Should the poet not be commended for unselfishly addressing an issue which maynot affect her, yet but affects many older people? Or would we rather see her rejoicing in her own youth without sparing a thought for the suffering of others? Isn't compassion a value which our human community espouses?

If the two poems discussed above are indeed weak, perhaps I could draw your kind attention instead to, for instance, "Four Kittens And An Old Lady," which also addresses the subjects of suffering and death, but approaches them with more youth vigour and a very familiar Singaporean perspective. I would be very grateful if you could share with me your opinions about this poem.

Thank you for your patience in reading my lengthy comments, and it would be refreshing to hear more support for young writers, who may sound immature and pretentious at first, but must one day be the honest and clear voice of our people. They can't achieve that without the encouragement and instruction of older, wiser people. Yours sincerely,

Peter Wong.

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