Poems on the MRT
Bringing local poetry to your daily commute
Poems on the MRT is an initiative by the National Arts Council, in partnership with SMRT Trains and Stellar Ace. Produced by Sing Lit Station, a local literary non-profit organisation, this collaboration displays excerpts of Singapore poetry throughout SMRT’s train network, bringing Sing Lit to the daily commute.
From 6 November 2025 to 4 November 2026, look out for poems in English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil in trains on the East-West, North-South, and Circle Lines. Poems will also be displayed on posters in train stations (till 6 May 2026) and bulletins at bus stops (till 4 February 2026).
Your opinion matters!
If you've read the poems or seen them on the trains, we'd love to hear your thoughts! Please go to go.gov.sg/potmsurvey and complete a short survey. It'll take a few minutes and help us bring exciting literary experiences to you!
From now till 31 October 2026, stand a chance to win* a $10 Grab Voucher when you complete the survey. Winners will be chosen at random.
*To stand a chance to win, kindly provide your email address at the end of the survey.
Seen the poems on the trains and want to read more? Curious to explore over a hundred Sing Lit poems? You can find all poems and English translations linked below. Happy reading!
| 温柔的城市 A Gentle City by 语凡 (Yu Fan) | 书香 Book Fragrance by 邹璐 (Zou Lu) | 云 Clouds by 刘瑞金 (Henry Low Swee Kim) |
| 醉 Drunk by 黃文傑 (Wang Mun Kiat) | 对角戏 Duologue by 贺尔 (He Er) | 邂逅 Encounter by 希尼尔 (Xi Ni Er) |
| 折叠的时光(下) Excerpt from “Layers of Time” (Part II) by 周德成 (Zhou Decheng) | 藏身——与妻在希腊 In Hiding - with my wife in Greece by 吴耀宗 (Gabriel Wu) | 风筝 Kite by 林方 (Lin Fang) |
| 生活 Life by 黄广青 (Enoch Ng Kwan Cheng) | 寂寞三行 Lines of Solitude by 木子（李茀民）Mu Zi (Lee Hock Ming) | 青木恋人 Lover of Verdant Trees by 欧筱佩 (Aw Seow Pooi) |
| 铁轨的记忆 Memory of Railway Tracks by 郭永秀 (Quek Yong Siu) | 莫兰迪色系 Morandi Hues by 伍政玮 (Ng Zhengwei) | 暖男 mr nice guy by 黄凯德 (Wong Koi Tet) |
| 夜调 Nocturne by 孤星子 (Ang Lai Sheng) | 说灵感 On Inspiration by 周粲 (Zhou Can) | 关于写情诗这件事 On Writing Love Poems by 沈斯涵 Shen Sihan |
| 回到南洋 Return to the Nanyang by 陈志锐 (Tan Chee Lay) | 安静不因我们离去更安静 Silence that is no more silent by 潘正镭 (Pan Cheng Lui) | 慢 Slowly by 梁文福 (Dr Liang Wern Fook) |
| 彩窗 Stained Glass Window by 林得楠 (Denon Lim Denan) | 石头 Stone by 英培安 (Yeng Pway Ngon) | 一个人的山海经 The Book of Mountains and Seas by 陈志锐 (Tan Xi Zhe) |
| 真相 之一 The Truth - Part 1 by 蔡深江 (Chua Chim Kang) | 走进图书馆的树：前身是树，今生是书本 The Tree at the Library Entrance by 王润华 (Prof Wong Yoon Wah) | 二老走植物园 Two Elders Stroll in the Botanic Gardens by 林高 (Lin Gao) |
| 伞内·伞外 Within/ Without by 淡莹 (Dan Ying) |
| Sebutir Pasir A Grain Of Sand by Dr Hadijah Rahmat | Membelah Budi A Severed Mind by Abdul Ghani Hamid | Seekor Labah-labah Dan Seorang Penyair Di Perpustakaan A Spider and a Poet in the Library by Hartinah Ahmad |
| Selepas After by Hamed Ismail | Seloka Pujangga Cinta Ballad of the Love Poet by Samsudin Said | Lebih Baik Sendiri Better Alone by Sofia Nin |
| Kekwa Chrysanthemum by Ahmad Syarif | Tanah Liat Di Tangan Tukang Tembikar Clay in the Potter’s Hands by Noridah Kamari | Bunga Lalang Lalang Flower by Isa Kamari |
| Warkah Untuk Seorang Isteri (Buat Su) Letter To My Wife (For Su) by Yatiman Yusof | Cinta adalah Makrifat Love is a Blessing by Djamal Tukimin | Bicaraku Dengan Sang Rumput My Conversation With The Grass by Wan Jumaiah bte Mohd Jubri |
| Rayuan Asmara Pleas of Romance by Muhammad Ariff Ahmad (MAS) | Pelangi Rainbow by Mohamed Latiff Mohamed | Melayah Tabah Ke Mercu Jaya Sailing Steadfastly to the Pinnacle of Success by Nordita Taib |
| Kreok-kreok Squeaks by Herman Rothman | Selat Tebrau Tebrau Straits by Juffri Supa’at | Terima Kasih Thank You by Muhammad Khairool Haque |
| Dialog Terakhir Wayang Pak Dalang The Last Dialogue of the Shadow Puppetmaster by H.B. Johar | Ini Nasi Yang Ku Suap This Rice I Eat by Masuri S.N | Menuju Pantai Bahagia Towards the Shore of Happiness by Suratman Markasan |
| Kereta Api Kehidupan Train of Life by Peter Augustine Goh | Tuk, Tuk, Tuk by Farihan Bahron | Tanah Air Perantau Wanderer’s Homeland by Aisyah Lyana |
| Kita Pencari Masa We, The Seekers of Time by Norulashikin Jamain |
| அழகு Beauty by மு.அ.மசூது (A.R. Mashuthoo) | பட்டாம்பூச்சி Butterfly by ஹரிணி V. (Harini V) | மேகம் Cloud by பனசை நடராஜன் (Panasai Natarajan) |
| விண் மீன்கள் Dazzling Stars by பாத்தேறல் இளமாறன் (Patheraal Illamaran) | கனவு Dream by ந.வீ.சத்தியமூர்த்தி (N.V.Sathiyamoorthy) | சிறகு Feather by நூர்ஜஹான் சுலைமான் (Noorjehan Sulaiman) |
| பூக்களை நீரில் ஆழ்த்துதல் Floating Flowers Downstream by நிலாகண்ணன் (Nilakannan) | பாடம் Lesson by லதா (Latha) | முதுமையின் அரவணைப்பில் Life's Journey by சுலோசனா கார்த்திகேசு (Sulosana Karthigasu) |
| பார்வை Look by ஷிவ்ராம் கோபிநாத் (Shivram Gopinath) | காதல் Love by யூசூப் ரஜித் ராவுத்தர் (Yousuf Rowther Rajid) | பல்லூழிக் காலப் பெரும் பூ Magnificent Ancient Flower by இன்பா (Inbha) |
| ஞாபகத் தடங்கள் Memory Lanes by எம். சேகர் (M. Segar) | சன்னலில் வெளியே அமர்ந்திருந்த கவிதை Poem Outside My Window by சித்துராஜ் பொன்ராஜ் (Sithuraj Ponraj) | திரைச்சீலையும் மரக்கிளையும் The Curtain and The Tree Branch by கோ.இளங்கோவன் (G. Elangovan) |
| இருப்பின் மேன்மை The Greatness of Presence by தா. மதிக்குமார் (Mathikumar Thayumanavan) | தூரத்து ஆள் The Man in the Distance by பிச்சினிக்காடு இளங்கோ (Marimuthu Arumugam Elango) | நரை வெளிச்சம் Twilight by க.து.மு. இக்பால் (KTM Iqbal) |
| தலைப்பில்லா Untitled by அ.கி.வரதராசன் (A.K. Varadharajan) | தலைப்பில்லா Untitled by ராஜூ ரமேஷ் (Raju Ramesh) |
Poems on the MRT Writing Competition - Submit Your Poem!
From 7 November 2025 to 31 January 2026, write a poem inspired by any MRT station or neighbourhood and watch it appear on our virtual poetry map. Explore the city through poetry and vote for your favourite poems - the top three poems in each category, along with the crowd favourites, stand to win cash prizes!
More info can be found at www.poemsonthemrt.com.
Poetry Hunt Competition
From 1 December 2025 to 28 February 2026, join a poetic scavenger hunt to spot and photograph as many poems as you can find on the trains! The contest encourages commuters to slow down, look up, and discover the richness of our local poetry. Participants will stand a chance to win prizes such as customised stationery and bookstore vouchers based on their number of submissions. Those who spot every featured poem stand a chance to win a Kobo eReader preloaded with Sing Lit titles.
More info can be found on @singlitstation on Instagram and their website closer to the date.