In Singapore the languages abound like swaying palm,
Which led the civic leaders to develop a pogrom
To stamp out ev’ry language except English and Chinese --
Now grandparents can’t comprehend grandchildren’s ABC’s.
A change of heart came with a change in their administration --
Now dialects are once again recited with elation.
Tamil and the Hokkien, and others more obscure,
Are taught along the Orchard Road in settings most secure.
A government that intervenes in language politics
Must speak not softly and then carry rather heavy sticks.
I hope a universal language begins soon to appear --
So mankind can rejoice together when they read “Free Beer!”
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