Get well por por

since the time
your ankles were all
that I could see

since the time
I had my first tooth
and tried to nibble on your finger

since the time
you patted me
till i fell asleep on your lap

since the time
you caned me
for jumping on your sofas

since the time
you dabbed dettol
on my grazed elbows

since the time
you scrubbed my knees with soap
only to watch them turn brown again when I straightened them

since the time
you stood protectively in front of me
when dad was hitting me

since the time
you complained
I was way too scrawny

since the time
you forced fed me
fish porridge you had spent hours cooking

since the time
you fell out with mom
and talked with the picture of your late husband for hours

since the time
I first saw you cry
when we went overseas for 4 years

since the time
I broke up with my first serious girlfriend
and you told me it would be alright

since the time
you told me in cantonese and english
'Girls nowadays, no money no fuck!'

Since the time
I earned my first pay cheque
and you were so proud

Since the time
I drove u around
in my first very own car

Since the time
you were so happy I put on some weight
then on closer inspection told me I was getting too fat

Since the time
you'd talk to me for hours and hours
and repeat yourself but I'd never mind

Since the time
you told me
I'm getting old... come see me more often when you have time

Since the time
you asked me to buy you
lou pak siew kai (colonel sanders : kfc) when I visit you

Since the time
we spent together
in the innocence of my infancy
to the decadence of my teens
to the troubled late twenties

Since that time
I have loved you po po
and I always will

and I realised
that I will never truely lose you

since that time
and until the end
you will be close to my heart