Lee Tzu Pheng has won numerous awards for her poetry, including the Cultural Medallion (1985) and the SEA Write Award (1987). Other awards include the Gabriela Mistral Award from the Republic of Chile and the Montblanc-NUS Centre for the Arts Literary Award. Three of her poetry collections won the NBDCS Book Award for English poetry and her poems have been read over the BBC and set to music for choral performance. She published three new books in 2012: _Catching Connections_, _Short Circuits_ and _Sing a Song of Mankind_. The Merlion to Ulysses (on the latter’s visit in Edwin Thumboo’s Ulysses By The Merlion) by Lee Tzu Pheng You have made too many detours, blown by the officious winds of many a poet intent upon showing you the sights; hitching a ride upon your reputation. You have known it all already, beauty and beast have been your daily fare, shallows and delays the grounding of your ill-planned journey. How long since you proved productive and loyal, properly at home? You, wedded to adulterous adventure, indulging a monstrous taste for consorting with monsters? In this harbour now, you limping in, once again the victim of conspiracy, what do your exploits avail you? You think I belong to that misbegotten crew that urged your malingering? I am none of that ilk! I am the instant brainchild of a practical people, for whom the likes of you spell decadence, instability and dreams. Newly arrived you have already outstayed your welcome. Look how easy it is to sell you my story? Are you the warrior, or the gull? You seem amazed? Properly impressed? So – the important things of our world, you must admit, have not changed much at all. I am the scion of a wealthy race. I wear the silver armour of my moneyed people. Before you leave, O feckless wanderer, remember to respect my creators.