The Ugly Duckling

You were conceived,
Right after your mummy’s honeymoon.
A child so special,
You were truly an individual.
For even in your mummy’s womb,
You had a mind of your own,
And even until the ninth month,
You said with a firm “I won’t”,
Turn around upside down.
For it doesn’t make sense,
To do the headstand.


When I first laid eyes on you
At 7 months, you came to Penang
What a perfect baby, I can not help but coo.
For you looked like those model babies
From an advertisement like Dutchbaby
You had no temper tantrums
But instead, drew strangers towards your pram
With eyes and a smile that is flirty and friendly.

When you were three
You became so crazy
About trains and could memorize
Every train from Forest Greens
To Massachusetts
As you would wait at the track as early as sunrise.
And taught me which to take
Take the G train it will take you all the way,
To Central Park or Broadway.

At seven, the trains were forgotten
Replaced by Nintendo
And cards with anime heros

At eleven, your mummy told
You are in the swimming team
And one in a school of 160
In the science team, chosen to be
And how you love to compete
With your “kong kong”,
at a game of ping pong.
And always prefered to lead.

Approaching twelve your mummy calls,
To tell of growing pains.
Of a soon to be teenager,
Who forgets to do his homework,
And misses the school bus,
Who protest when your daddy and mummy fuss,
Or whenever your mummy ask,
If you know how to do a task,
She hears an obstinate “I know”
And yet your grades fluctuate
From As to a very low grade.

Oh Sis, you can’t have it always easy
For he was a perfect baby
From the age one to three
He never gave you sleepless nights
Unlike some other cry babies
Wailing and screaming
How alarming
He is going through an adolescent phase
Which you will patiently need to face.