Love

God loved the birds
And invented trees
Man loved the birds
And invented cages

- Jacques Deval -

Silence

Silence creeps in

Softly, 

Quietly

When words fail to 

Explain,

Express or

Comfort

Words dissolve into silence

A world where

Reason,

Love and

Pain

Takes no shape

My Little Prince

I just started unlocking the gate when I was welcomed with an enthusiastic "Gugu! you are back! Yoohoo!" followed by a little song and dance and prancing around.

I can't help but smile. Kieran made my coming home almost a celebratory event. He then went back to the living room, lay on his stomach and continued copying the images of the beaded figures - car, monkey, dragonfly, soft drinks - onto pieces of heart-shaped paper.

He thought his daddy made the beaded figures. He wrote on the heart-shaped pieces of paper "100% made by Adrian". I told him, no, gugu made them when I was young. He looked a little confused and a little embarrassed, then continued with what he was doing anyway. He said he wanted to give them to his daddy.

And I thought to myself, some people you love not only because of how loveable they are, but also how loveable they are in the way they love you.

The four-step woman and her man

I was queuing for my porridge and feeling a little restless. I hardly come to the food centre these days, so I simply looked around, taking in the weekend morning buzz.

Then I saw the four-step woman. She was walking along the centre aisle, holding on to a walking stick to help her move along. She is probably in her late seventies or early eighties, very small, but seemingly very determined.

In front of her was an equally old man. Also small, a little less feeble, but nonetheless holding on to an umbrella as a walking stick as well. He was holding her hand, walking in front of her, leading her as they walk along the aisle in the bustling marketplace.

I counted. She takes exactly four steps, and stops to rest for a while, and then four steps again, and rests. Her husband simply holds her hand, leading the way, moving along with the same rythmic motion, probably used to the four-step routine by now.

And so I suppose that's what love is. Holding on, keeping watch, no matter how long, how slow and how old.