Boyhood Buoys (3): Secret Tryst
I never understand the taboo of my village school
But all boys avoided speaking to girls, and vice versa
Nevertheless, whenever I felt the real urge to
See my girl in private, I would hum aloud while
Walking out of our classroom, and in the evening
She and I would meet behind a low sand ridge in the
Dried riverbed. Watching the summer stars in
Innocent silence, we would sit for a while deep in
Each other’s arms until we departed in equal silence
Even without hitting upon the idea of a real kiss
Her name was Chen Yeqiong, a tall, slim and pretty
Fellow villager, with a birthmark above her right lips
That’s when we were in grade eight; that’s as early
As half a century ago, on the other side of the world
Boyhood Buoys (5): The Most Memorable Science Class
We didn’t know how or why, but we came to be
Convinced that swallowing a fresh snake gall
Would give us a more insightful pair of eyes
So, after catching a three-feet long grass snake
We skinned it off carefully, and cooked a big
Pot of soup with its old chicken-like meat
(O boy, how delicious it tastes! But my mom
Dare not go to the kitchen for a whole week)
The next morning, I blew enough air into the
Slough, made it into a vivid staff dragon, went
To school early and put it in the top-open desk
Closest to the podium. When the lid is raided,
The fully wound dragon threw the whole class
Into shriek. That’s our only field science class
"Counting Stars" Header Image by Susan Blase All Rights Reserved