Me and Popo's hands
The
Calloused Hands
Popo!!!!
I call out in high pitch glee
Her
wrinkles curve and smile at me
Happiness
awakened from distrait
Finally
after all those years of wait
I
rush to her side, she coughs out blood
Lying
on her deathbed without a word
Her body
lays motionless but her eyes
Twinkle
with whispers of love and cries
Tiny
and frail hardly explains her body
More
fragile than a new-born baby
She
lifts up her bony shaky fingers
Cupping
my face and let one lingers
Rough
and dry her old skin against mine
Worse
than burns from acid and alkaline
Her
teary eyes pierces deep into my soul
Bringing
me back to great times of old
********
Mama
died when she gave birth to me
Papa
sits in jail for raping her repeatedly
Popo
brought me up with love and care
She
took me in which was an act so rare
She
woke up at five every morning
Chicken
porridge was her best cooking
Alternating
with butter buns and bread
There
was nothing my taste truly dread
I
was a noisy and naughty little girl
Always
caught with my feet awhirl
She
never spared me from the rod
Never
to spoil but instil fear of God
When
I behaved well, she would fry
Banana
fritters so good you would cry
She
would hug me and laugh out loud
Chasing
rain from the hovering cloud
Popo’s
hair was always in a small bun
Neat
and tidy not a hair seen in front
Wraparound
sarong tied with a knot
Her
lips wearing a shade of red hot
Day
and night she worked hard
Tending
to vegetables in her yard
A
kind soul, still sharing a fruit or two
Turning
away the needy was a taboo
A
storyteller at night with her hair down
Filled
with tales to enchant and astound
Memoirs
of her younger self and ah kong
My
grandpa who had died forty years long
I once
asked “Popo, are you not tired?”
Pointing
upwards, her secret transpired
“My
strength comes from high above”
“All
is made possible in the name of love”
I
continued, “Why did you choose to keep me?”
She
held me tight and said, “Why would I flee?”
“God
gave you to me, one of his greatest gifts”
“You’re
innocent no matter who your papa is”
Time
passed, I had to leave for university
Popo
would come to see me in the city
Each
time she grew shorter and shorter
While
the hunch on her back grew bigger
Work
began to eat away all my time
I
strived to pay back every single dime
Popo
was far from my heart and mind
I
was exhausted after a long day’s grind
One
day a phone call made my heart broke
Popo
fell down the stairs and had a stroke
Panicking
I prayed it was not too late
I
had promised to bring Popo on a date
********
Her
mouth opens wide gasping for air
I
keep muttering that it is so unfair
She
holds my gaze in blinking tears
Am I
facing one of my biggest fears?
Popo
softly moans “I’m going home”
“I
am not leaving you alone to roam”
“Do
not cry my cucu, I know you care”
“I
will watch over you from up there”
Her
calloused hands clasp mine tightly
Not
letting go I grip them to me closely
“I
love you” springs from her watery eyes
Breathes
her last and to heaven she flies
p/s: If you like poetry, feel free to browse my poems at my previous posts labelled 'My Poems'.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment