As
if it were yesteryear
When
the river lashed out its rage
When
the A-bomb unleashed its power
When
the wee tiny baby cried his first cry
Today
fatherhood strikes once
Strikes
twice
Strikes
thrice
As
if it were yesteryear
When
handy sandy writing board
Was
plowed with squiggly strokes
When
hand sewn baggy bag
Was
trimmed down to esthetic book size
Today
electrons are instructed to dance around
To
spell out his heart of thanksgiving
As
if it were yesteryear
When
handmade wooden truck
Was
trampled under sister’s fast feet
When
the pebble bouncing off a bow
Was
hard hitting soft belly
Today
microscopic things that never existed before
Are
being crafted in the laboratory
As
if it were yesteryear
When
the shabby hut
Could
not withstand the seeping rain
When
swallow’s mud nests
Were
toppled under the tug of gravity
When
the bee hives
Were
destroyed in child’s anti-terror play
Today
even pet birds and fish
Huddle
safely in their indoor cage and tank
As
if it were yesteryear
When
wild berries and peaches
Sweet
melons and cucumbers
Were
tasted haphazardly
From
uncle A’s to aunt Z’s gardens
When
thrown-away sugar cane stubs
Were
picked up from under the bridge
Today
they are supplied in ample amount
From
super food stores
As
if it were yesteryear
When
dog dung near and afar
Were
collected in foggy mornings
When
firewood and thicket
Were
chopped down in after-school hours
When
seasonal farming chores
Were
labored over again and again
Today
a different kind of toil
Rhymes
with a new tone of joy
As
if it were yesteryear
When
Mom rose up in the night
Carried
a feverish boy to the hospital
When
the dead serious Dad posed a summer quiz
What
the senior high meant for a country boy
When
buckets of rice were sold at a discount
To
play catch with rising tuition
Today
the kid-turned-dad thinks the same thought
Does
the same thing more or less
Senses
a renewed calling
As
if it were yesteryear
When
the voluminous works of Chairman Mao
Were
read and re-read with reverence and piety
Beside
the flickering oil lamp in the night
When
slogans after slogans
Were
blurted out from the top of the lung
When
bulletin board of criticisms
Was
filled with impassioned array of fighting words
Today
the Word of the Almighty
Has
become the meditation and lifeblood
As
if it were yesteryear
When
PLA men were the heroes
Qiu
Shaoyun and Huang Jiguang and Wang Jie and Lei Feng
When
good deeds were done
To
a blind octogenarian widowed since the Liberation
When
aggrandizing praise
Was
further magnified through loudspeakers
Today
the true hero of all mankind
Has
found His rightful place in the heart
As
if it were yesteryear
When
the flame of first love at first sight
Was
kindled ablaze in a young man’s heart
When
the poems-studded love letters
Helped
winning an equally young and virtuous heart
When
the parent-in-laws gave away their treasured pearl
And
helped securing the certificate of marriage
Today
all concerned live under one roof
Learning
to love with the love from above
As
if it were yesteryear
When
a surrealist lad dreamed a day
When
rice would grow from tall trees
Only
to be picked off freely
When
a philosophizing senior penned down
Declaration
of an atheist’s summary
About
life’s past and present and future
Today
the River of life
Flows
from God’s throne
To
nurture the tree of life
Gracing
the riverbank
In
the eternal present
(Composed
on Oct. 16, 2001)