To the Tune: Poems by Jee Leong Koh

Description

What song do we sing when the world demands that we speak?

In To the Tune, acclaimed poet Jee Leong Koh creates a collection that is both intimate and public, meditative and defiant. Through a series of epistolary poems addressed to the great Chinese poet Du Fu alongside original poem-songs that yearn to be sung aloud, Koh examines what poetry can accomplish in times of political uncertainty and social upheaval.

Searching across history and contemporary life, these poems engage with journalists, organizers, ordinary citizens, artists, and protesters, asking how language can bear witness while also inspiring action. The result is a body of work that refuses easy answers, embracing complexity while insisting that compassion, imagination, and community remain powerful forces for change.

Koh’s voice moves effortlessly between quiet reflection and rallying cry. His poems are richly musical, intellectually adventurous, and emotionally resonant, inviting readers to consider not only the role of poetry in moments of crisis but also its ability to preserve humanity amid conflict. Each piece becomes both conversation and invocation, balancing vulnerability with conviction, personal memory with collective experience.

Elegant, thought-provoking, and deeply humane, To the Tune is a remarkable collection that demonstrates poetry’s enduring capacity to challenge, comfort, and inspire. Whether read silently or imagined as songs rising from a crowd, these poems remind us that every movement toward justice begins with a voice willing to be heard.

Book Details

• Author: Jee Leong Koh
• ISBN: 195865227X
• Format: Hardcover
• Genre: Poetry
• Themes: Protest, Social Justice, Community, Music, Politics, Identity, Memory, Hope