The banging of the balls on walls gives you the Monday blues,
The laughter of glad children interrupts your midday snooze.
Ban the football! Ban the catching! Ban the hum tum bola games!
So the town committee banned them, but the noise is still the same -

It must be the immoral gambling syndicates of crime:
The Chinese chess club uncles shouting jiang jun! all the time
Ban the checkers! Ban the chessmen! Ban Monopoly and Risk!
So the town committee banned them, but the noisiness persists -

It's the void deck that's the problem - far too spacious and too airy.
Metal bars won't keep them out, more drastic works are necessary!
Fill the whole thing with a solid block of fast-drying concrete!
So the town committee did so, but the dratted noise repeats -

They hired some consultants, studied causes and effects.
The root cause is "community", the analyst reflects.
Ban community! Ban people! Ban this gotong royong spirit!
So the town committee banned them, but the noise remains explicit.

So what could be the problem? Who disturbs our peace and poise?
Who's creating all these issues? Who is making all the noise?
Sir, stick your fingers in your ears until your eardrums pop,
The town committee rests, because at last the noise has stopped.

JOSHUA IP