This document provides biographical information about Singaporean poet Boey Kim Cheng and analyzes his poem "The Planners". It summarizes that the poem depicts city planners trying to create an orderly city through precise planning, but in doing so they shut out nature and history. The planners are seen fixing problems with "dental dexterity" to numb the pains of the past. Ultimately, the reality of city building fails to match the planners' perfect visions, and their progress damages the past and stifles art.