This is My House

It’s still dark but the call of the muezzin signals the dawn of a new day,

Impatiently she bounces around; all ready to gogogogo

Driving hapless parents up the wall as she hangs upside down -in the car.

The route is filled with exciting detours but she Just.Can’t.Wait,

Because at the heart of its destination lies the love and affection

Of very doting grandparents.

Being there got you the best durians, the best toys and candy,

The biggest pak chong in the whole world (indeed, even bigger than a dinner plate).

Yeh Yeh would take her for joyrides around the town,

Off they went merrily in his beloved old Mercedes

And when it was safe, he’d wink at her

Pulling out a separate angpau from Mama’s.

He always smelt like Brylcream and leather,

And insisted they speak English because he wanted to practice.

Indeed, there were many letters, postcards and grainy old pictures of him

Smiling and posing in exotic locales around the world.

As she grew older, she wondered how come she didn’t inherit his height genes

He was a six footer Chinaman, and she was a five footer Chinagirl.

But as he grew older, it was her turn to look after his needs.

She learnt that he loved Teochew porridge,

And had always hoped to visit the land of his birth again.

That he would read the dailies out loud to the other residents,

And hated his walking stick with a passion.

As the years passed by, she arrived back in Ipoh one day

Unbelieving that he’d gone so quickly and suddenly,

Looking at the shell that once housed his spirit,

His generosity and unfailing devotion to family,

She knew he’d gone for good this time.

And sat in numb silence to bid farewell

To the beloved patriarch of the Lim family.

Yeh yeh’s spirit and mettle lives on today,

In the chubby cheeks of his great grandchild,

In the wanderlust of his grandchildren (both tall and short),

In the belief of higher education by his children.

It’s a story of a young and desperately poor immigrant,

Toiling amongst the once active tin mines of Perak,

And realized his dream of sending all nine children for further study.

As I stood by the banks of the Kinta River under a cloudless sky,

Watching the swirling eddies carry his ashes away,

His stern but compassionate advice echoing in my mind,

I remember that he is free to travel different lands once again.

Thanks for the memories Yeh Yeh.

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