Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Poetry 2019 | Page 52

The Untold Voyage
The Independent Schools Foundation Academy, Chung, Jacqueline - 8
Waves race across the ocean
Winds howl in the sky
My ship rocks to and fro
Albatrosses, from my childhood dreams, lead our way on high
Silvery flying-fishes land on the bow
Water splashes onto my face,
Saltier than melted snowflakes at Kunyang (1), many miles and years away
Summery blue sky is here to stay
My head feels heftier than ever
Tears roll down my cheeks,
From mother’s sob at my teenage farewell
For yet another adventure to start, my heart beats
By myself, I am standing on the first mast of the nine
Eerie silence as in lonesome nights I spent at the Palace in tears
Over my shoulders stand thousands of comrades
Who start to chant and cheer
My mind still haunted by unnerving thoughts
Would villainous pirates fight us till we crack?
Would monstrous waves capsize my fleet,
Or a venomous sea monster turn me into snack?
Like branches in whirlwinds, my hands shake - would I snap?
Like a stone, my heart sinks - could I stay afloat?
I have risen to become chief of staff
Nothing is going to stop me from my goal!
Glittery jewels and gold coins stacked high
To spread our traditions to far-flung realms is my mission
My flotilla loaded with treasure priceless to measure
To open up a new world for the Kingdom becomes the vision
O’ dear let me catch a glimpse of my past
Hidden among the uncharted West (2),
From where my Muslim blood flows
My Arabic tongue would confess
My neck feels sorer than ever from the golden armour
But my heart is as light as feather
The feather of an albatross
Who longs to fly back to her nest, freed from a tether
___________
(1) Zheng He was born in Kunyang.
(2) Zheng He was a sixth-generation Muslim descendent of Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din Omar from
Bukhara (modern day Uzbekistan) who might have a Persian origin. Zheng He possibly learnt Arabic during
childhood.