| The Grassblade Swordsman |
5 May 2007
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| It
was as if he had just stepped out of the history book. Ah Yong, 80,
came strolling into the market scene in Kabun Baru Mall at dawn and
had everyone, literally, eating out of his hat -- i.e, tesselation,
mystery, romance, antiquity and all! Gauging by the smiles beaming around him, you could say this sweet old man brought with him an old world charm that tugged at our heartstrings. He certainly had grace -- lots of it. He could have just raised a hand and smooth a raging river with one swift taichi movement... well, at least, I was wont to believe, drowning as I did in admiration for him. I could not help romancing the thought of an oriental hero coming to Ang Mo Kio; a good heart, a tortured soul, stabbed by the injustice weighing heavy on the poor and |
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Why... if by some magic, I had had Gandhi by my side there and then, would he not be smiling knowingly into my eyes and telling me in the deepest silence of his heart that the bamboo hollow strength of the meek had been his lifelong friend too? Ah... what a nice thought; how wonderful it would be if it was possible. I wished though that my MP (and Prime Minister) Lee Hsien Loong could have been there to greet this gentle soul and not shaking hands with Mr. Bush in USA that very day.
In any case, how could I ever let up the chance of befriending him myself? That I did and it was not long in coming that I threw my hesitation into the fire of a warm and friendly chat... two whitehaired men, a cup of coffee in between, and the perfect shade of a small tree.
By and by, I found out he had been hawking bamboo wares all his life, and in his heyday, he was known affably by the moniker * Teck Koh Huat. The bamboo impliments he sold then were made with his own hands. However, with advancing age, it is no longer possible. Except for some small mats, familiar items like stools, deckchairs, ladders, baskets, poles, drying trays are all imported from China now.
As time grew on us and parting was near, I popped the inevitable (and almost eternal) question that only pained hearts world over would have asked through times immemorial: "Where can I find you again?" He shook his head whimsically; the twinkle of his eyes betraying the lightness of freedom enjoyed only by itinerants. "I have no fixed place... I go wherever it takes my fancy", he smiled. However, when I pressed him further albeit respectfully, he relented, "Old Chinatown is where I stay".
And that was that; he came and went away as surreptiously as a lifting mist and left behind dew... dreams... delightful hints... of creation's first light on this shared existence called life.
I stole a furtive glance at the marketplace the following sunday but he wasn't there. At least, the small basket I bought from him should remind me of him. If fate would have it, we would certainly meet again one day.
May blessings upon blessings be with you always... my dear Grassblade Swordsman!
* Teck Koh is bamboo in Hokkien; Huat is his other name (or nickname).
READ another two proses: The Stupa Man and Shoes At Your Door