Childhood Autograph Poem by john tiong chunghoo

the old autograph of light blue,
yellow and brown, worn and
dogearred dances away from
time and its place in my memory

the only treasure are the words
within, golden wishes that grace
the pages, remembrance written
so many times it reverberates through
a span of forty years like they
are only two inch thick

the boys had grown, sprinted
away like ponies, leaving warm wishes
to meet again, some out of a real desire,
others merely to fulfil a societal practice
words to hold a place, a name,
a face with nothing in between

we would not remember what words we
had left behind for each other but our
smiles would slice through
the barriers to the days when
friendship was really held dear
a value which too is dancing away
from us like the boys who had given
us so much fun and joy