Heat

Heat does wonders.

Thrust a metal into the burning stove
out comes a malleable piece of diamond,
shaped into a piece of your fancy.

Pour in cereal into a boiling mix and then into a moulding bowl
out comes a healthy sponge cake worthy of meeting guests.

Thrust someone into a situation of stress and
will it cultivate a person of strength and endurance?

I like to think so.

Space

In the small island that I know better,

we learn to take small steps

we learn not to wave our hands wildly when we walk

we learn to move slowly, 

for fear of treading on the toes of others,

for fear of thrusting into fellow islanders' space 

in this densely-populated isles.

In this vast expanse which I come to know,

we can ride bikes with one hand

for there is no fear of knocking down a pedestrian.

What can be worse -- you just fall down!

In this wide realm that now I know, 

we can walk as fast as we want

we can stop when we fancy

with no fear of someone tailgating behind.

The space is vast

the mind is free.

跟着感觉走

Biking

My trusty bike

Biking – a gift bestowed upon me by papa

Placing obstacles to form a figure 8,

papa taught us to maneuver the four-wheeler from young.

Moving up and plunging down the slopes are cautious affairs

as papa taught us to fear.

With a bike in hand

getting lost in a new city is less daunting.

Kilometres do not matter

When you know you can fly on wheels.

In a whizz,

the number of traffic lights that have to be crossed passed by.

Darkness becomes smaller

for the minutes spent in its cloak are immaterial.

A bike may pale alongside its metallic counterparts

where roads run wide and vast in the suburbs.

When the north-eastern winds blow

You can only attempt to fight a feeble fight against the force of nature.

Yet the beauty of the bike beckons.

Bringing it up the kerb

As I grab a hot coffee and tea egg,

I thank Papa for letting me have a good friend in THE bike.

I dedicate this poem, written in Taitung, Taiwan where I rode so much in a lifetime and where I won't have gone so far and wide if not for the bike

, for my papa!