Friday, November 12, 2010

kampong tengah 33

Before the village gone
There came a 50 something China man
He occupied one of those abandoned homes
And he made the best “chee chong fun”

Every afternoon he carried his product
Out to the village and sometimes walked to town
Alone he was no friends and relatives
When I came by to look, he asked me to leave

I guessed then he didn't want to share his trade secret
As he alone made his “chee chong fun”
He made quite a good profit on his trade
For months he could earn his living

Then the village was torn down
All houses gone as bulldozers came
The villagers had moved to new location
For the 50 something China man he had no where to go

My family moved out
The village of Kampong Tengah gone
There was no goodbye; there was nothing to take
It was a place kept in memory of the time shared

The Chinese temple stands today
The god doesn't want to move to a new place
The developer couldn't get the god to move
So he had to build around the temple

Nobody dares to shift the temple
The warning had been given not to defy the deity's order
So it is better to let god stays where it is now
Then get death or something in the end

A year or two later
I thought I saw the 50 something China man
I couldn't believe what I saw
He was paralyzed from his legs

He moved with wheels supported by planks
On the streets begging for alms............
Alone and miserable on the street
Hope and dreams all gone in his eyes

People passed him by
Some gave him money
This was all he could do
The chee chong fun secrets gone with him


When I was in town
I tried to look for him
I couldn't find him any more
So I guessed he must have passed away

His “chee chong fun” the best I tasted
I used to bench mark it with others
I couldn't find any one close to him
The 50 something China man took his secret away

I remembered too my form 3 teacher
She came to the house talked to my mother
You see I didn't go to school after beginning of form 3
I thought working was the best way to earn money

This Malay teacher by name of Cikgu Rokiah
She came to the house told my mother to let me go to school
She said she has confident in my school work.........
So I went back to High School Klang

She took me to see the headmaster
He spoke to me about education
Then I was sent back to form 3
I was away for about 2 months

I had a lot of catching up to do
In the end I managed to pass the examination
At least it proved Cik Rokiah was right
I could do something with my life

Secret of chee chong fun
Secret of an education
It all boils down to earning money
With hands or with brains

When the result came
My class mate Chew Kian Fatt passed by
On his way home to tell me
He said I passed

We never know about life
We never know the village could be gone
The future nobody can predict
Even Chew Kian Fatt now decades in Australia

Kampong Tengah
The simple life carefree years
The races shared enjoying the friendship
Now the whole village in memory

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