rib/cage: poems

by Rosaly Puthucheary, Arunditha, Zeha

Our ALLTHETIME folios present three poets across the generations in conversation with one another.

Pounding beneath rib/cage is a visceral struggle for selfhood and belonging. These poems shatter through the suffocating grip of silence and constraint. These are words carved into verse as sharp as bone—voiced into the stillness of night.

Within the pages of our first ALLTHETIME folio lies a collection spanning five decades. This chorus of voices across time confront unyielding questions about alienation and autonomy, reminding us that the fight remains as fierce as ever. Let these lines take root in your breath; we dare you to recite them with your whole damn chest.

77 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 27, 2025

About the author

Rosaly Puthucheary, a Singaporean with roots in Johor Bahru taught English Literature in Anglo-Chinese Junior College from 1984 to 2001. She retired from teaching in 2001. The degree of Doctor of Philosophy was conferred on her in February 2006 from the National University of Singapore.

In addition to the present book, her major publications include Pillow Your Dreams (1978), The Fragmented Ego (1978), Dance On His Doorsteps (1992), Footfalls in the Rain (2008), Mirrored Mirages (2008), Different Voices (2009), In the Wake of Terror (2012) and My Burning Hill (2012).

Reviews

[aqilahreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is so beautiful i love it sm 😫😫😫

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. this is not merely a collection of poems; it is a collective heartbeat - raw, defiant & unapologetically alive. ❤️‍🔥 reading it feels like stepping into a room where silence has just been broken by someone who could no longer bear its weight.

what makes this folio particularly powerful is its temporal reach; voices spanning five decades speaking across generations, yet harmonizing in their shared pursuit of autonomy. this isn't just poetry as expression; it's poetry as reclamation. each piece feels etched with lived experience, often sharp-edged & painful but also luminous with clarity & courage. 💫

this book confronts alienation not with despair but with a kind of fierce reverence for the act of speaking out. theres a bodily quality to the writing - language that rises from the chest, from the gut, from beneath the rib cage itself. these aren't just poems to read; they’re poems to feel, to carry in your lungs.

ultimately, it challenges the reader not only to witness the struggle for selfhood, but to participate in it - to echo these voices with full-throated conviction. it is both a record of resistance and a call to continue it.

also !! love the introduction where it says "this book is a crucial reminder that poets are still writing and thriving in this country, baring themselves to the bone" im like yASSSSS LETS GAURRRRRRRR 🔥🔥🔥 so proud of our local poets, your voices are long overdue and right on time. everybody say thank u AFTERIMAGE !!! 🙇‍♀️

[kieran ⋅˚₊‧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

makes me want to write poetry again. really enjoyed the way this collection transcended generations, languages, cultures, the personal.

favourites:
- the storm
- frayed marriage
- divorce
- rags
- nagercoil
- my body is a monster
- day
- hair as suture material

[s · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful and heartwarming blend of poetry by three inspirational women from three different generations and their shared experiences of what it means to be a woman—a person.

[Mx. Andy Feje · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think my fave are pieces written by Zeha, esp the “limbs in chunks, trepidation in molecular spheres”. So good. Enjoyed reading.