Baby's world
baby's world
the parts i remember
for verses
come in growth
now recollected
for sheer fun
granny dipping her salty forefinger
into my tender mouth
for that budding first tooth
so well imprinted
after so many turbulent decades
mom swinging me to and fro
in a sarong suspended
from a spring tied to a pole
her poor attempt at lullaby
added to my pleasure
my head softly tugged against the floor
up and down, up and down
it went until i slipped into dreamland
and cowpox oh yes
it came at a certain age
about eight or nine
how sour and repelling
the pear juice was
the century old remedy
for overheated body
the memory that still
brings back the sickly
mind numbing temperature
and mumps,
it too brought back that
sharp look of anger
from mom to dad
as he asked me
whether it was painful
pretty redundant isnt it?
mom irked i think because
she thought the question
would get me more conscious
of the pain
and oh yes, that afternoon
mom ran with a broom
as i came back the 38th position
in the class
i cried without even the beating
still wonder how i had dipped to
that position from the tenth
as i look into a baby's eye
and see how they turn
with their little hands
[...] Read more
poem by John Tiong Chunghoo
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
