Return from Singapore

RETURN FROM SINGAPORE

I took my granny,

In her wheelchair,

To the Royal Botanic Gardens,

She sat in the chair,

And I rode behind her,

As we careered

Around the paths,

Shouting and screaming,

Screaming and shouting,

Leaving families 

In our wake,

Until we got 

To the glasshouse,

Where the heat and humidity,

Triggered an untold tale,

Taking her back to 1942,

The Beradin Rubber Estates

With the Japanese at the door,

And escaping to Singapore,

Where, waiting on the quay,

With two precious tickets

For the last boat home,

My grandfather

Saw a solitary friend, and,

Without a moment’s thought,

Offered her his freedom,

And here, in the wet, wet, heat,

Of the glasshouse, 

My granny cast a single tear,

And every year,

I return to this place,

Feeling the sweat 

Gathering on my back,

And I share that moment,

With them both,

Long gone, but forever

Here.