WITH HAO-YUAN AT THE BOTANICAL GARDENS

Amidst this wooded serenity
In the heart of Tanglin
The lush leaves glow with dew
The trees stand tall, regal
The crickets sing to the morning sun
Youthful, earnest teachers with their charges
Tittering, hand in hand, so orderly
Swinging in a straight line towards some designated spot
The qigong ladies had just departed
Some stragglers linger
Outside the orchid enclosure
A gaggle of Japanese tourists hang out
With sun hats and cameras
In lilting animation, oblivious to our passing
Hao-Yuan is thirteen months today
Standing tall, smiling
Light sunny thin strands of hair
A laughing child, wonder eyes
As tall as the fire hydrant
Toddling happily along
Down Palm valley
We feed the fishes
In the cloudy waters
The sparrows scamper for a meal
The Amphitheatre sprang out
Like a giant frog on a pond
Six Caucasian mums push their prams
Up the slope towards the pavilion

In these sylvan shades
The trees never grow old
Only more lushly green
The lawns more immaculate
The flowers blossom in controlled profusion
14 June 2001