Chance Encounter With A "3-Legged" Man (1 Of 5) Poem by Frank Yue

A Story of Hope and Perseverance:

Dedicated to my Mentor and Friend,
Andrew W. F. Wong 黃宏發
(Huang Hongfa)
-by his e-student Frank C Yue

This poem is the first chapter for -

1. Chance Counter With A 3-Legged Man (1 of 5)

2. Chance Counter With A 3-Legged Man (2 of 5)

3. Come, And Show Yourself If You Can, Mr. Chan - My Old '3-Legged'
Friend! (3 of 5)

4. Mr. Chan Is My Inspiration, I've Re-Affirmed My Resolution (4 Of 5)

5. Good-bye, My 7-Minute Friend! (5 Of 5)



I have to stay in Hong Kong longer than previously plann'd -
Expensive medicine (with musk grain) by a competent man
(At the Baptist U Chinese Medicine Specialty Clinic)
Has, on my dear friend's long ailment, good effects specific.

Some mornings, I do qigong in my neighbourhood park
Where older folks come and go, they seldom leave their mark.
A microcosm of the lively seniors' community -
Mostly, each on her own spot doing her thing: No self-pity.

Quite punctually, a loose small group does taiji each morning,
Trying to follow the leader's every move and turning.
These slow moving bodies, just all women, are over the hill.
But their wrinkled eyes -inviting wines no more! -do sparkle still!

O, How I wondered where have all the "old-man soldiers" gone?
To the grave, ALL the other old braves couldn't have just passed on!
Maybe, lonely gnawing solitude further breeds lassitude,
Low self-esteem destroys once-proud guys' positive attitude!

Xin Qizi's words light up a mind not so old,
a heart none too cold:

"Do remember our days of old -
Golden halberd on war horse bold,
Like a fierce tiger, vanquished were the foes! "

And Alfred Tennyson's wise words too,
For us -lions-in-Autumn -to woo:

"We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are -
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."

Some older folks are on wheelchairs, pushed by a helper or maid.
With nursing homes so near, they're here again later in the day.
Some older women are walking with the aid of a stick;
A "junior-senior" caught m'eyes with his gait and walking-stick.

With a head full of silver hair, he's in fact older than me -
(Though 'me' is not so young as 'me' wishes to be!)
But the "younger-old man" is a mere baby
Beside the active "ninety-fiver" lady!

No, he does not walk with a limp, but in small "lotus steps".
I thought: Could this be a major-stroke survivor, perhaps?
Then, after a number of days in silent encounter,
We finally say warmly "Good morning! " to each other.

He knows I have my own walking-stick, wielding it like a toy,
Walking sideways, now backwards... with the smileof a gleeful boy.
(This metal stick, I bought with twelve Hong Kong dollars only
From Jusco Ten Dollar Store, is the "park weapon" for me.)

We speak the same old county dialect, we're thrilled to find;
With the ice broken, I ask him one morning: Do you mind
Telling me why you walk this way?
And, maybe, help you I may.

"My calves and feet used to give me sharp pain,
they hurt so much.
My third and fourth vertebrae impinged on the nerves; as such,
The doctor said an operation was necessary
To quite safely remove my sufferings and misery."

"Only good news was, after surgery, the sharp pain was gone.
But somehow, both my feet were drained of strength from then on!
Now, I can't stand on my feet without a 'third leg' for long.
Fearing I may fall easily, I move in tiny steps -
for my legs aren't strong! "

Alas! He can hardly squat down or bend his knees.
Indeed, What kind of a helpful op. was this! ?
Let all ailing patients beware -
The 'knife' could be a hurtful ware!


(...)

(2012.07.01)

(Part 2 to follow...)