I hope this book find you in good health and spirit.
The idea for this book was conceived six months ago when my
friend, Mr. Joaquin Sy, suggested that I can collect thirty of my poems in
English, Chinese and Filipino and have it published.
Publishing a book has been my lifelong dream since the day I
graduated from high school in 1978. In the last many years, every time I walked
into a bookstore, that dream kept showing up.
In the last six months, I wrote the poems you see in this
collection. Some were written first in English, then I translated into Chinese
and Filipino. Some were written in Chinese first, and some were written in
Filipino first. As a Chinese Filipino or Chinoy, all three languages are dear
to me.
The poems are divided into four sections. In the first
section, the poems were written with my grandfather as my inspiration. The
section is called “Angkong”. That is what we call our grandfather in Fujian. It
includes “Grandfather’s Old House”, the title of which was used for the title
of this book. My grandfather was part owner of a once beautiful house in Vigan,
Ilocos Sur, Philippines. The street is now called Calle Crisologo. It was
designated by UNESCO as a heritage site in 1999.
The second section is called “Homeland”. As an overseas
Chinese, there are many discussions as far as which is our homeland. I struggle
with the same question. One day, a few months ago, fellow poet, Mr. Jameson
Ong, asked me to write a few short poems to be included in a special edition of
a poem page. The title was “Homeland”. In one sitting within thirty minutes, I
wrote those six poems. They were written in Chinese initially. Looking back, my
subconscious was probably telling me that the answer is clear. My homeland is
the Philippines.
The third section has to do with relationships. As human
being, as the saying goes, no man is an island. Day in and day out, we interact
with many people in our life. Some came in passing but left a very deep impression
in our life. Some have been with us for decades and shaped our life in many
ways. Looking back, meeting someone is all about what is meant to be. As one
Chinese saying goes: If you are not meant to know each other, even if you were
sitting across each other, you will not know each other. If you are meant to
know each other, even if you live thousands of miles apart, you will know each
other.
The last section includes different themes that caught my
attention. The betta fish, a dream, the destruction of the planet, a Christmas
tree and a homeless person. They all caught my eyes and my mind, probably at a
point during the day when my heart was very sensitive.
I also included an article about my recent visit to Vigan,
Ilocos Sur, Philipines. It is the birthplace of my father. It is where my
grandfather landed after he left southern China in 1908. The trip was very
rewarding. I retuned from the trip with a better understanding of my
grandfather, my father and myself. I also was able to capture images of Vigan
with my own eyes and camera which were included in this book.
Lastly, I would like to thank my fellow University of the
Philippines alumni, Ms. Angela Arriola Yu for helping me connect with the
publishing company. My sincere thanks to Mr. Solomon Yuyitung for his patience
with a first time book writer like myself. I hope you will enjoy reading this
little poem collection in the same way that I enjoyed writing it. May peace be
with you.
3/29/2016
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
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