Back then I was a skinny little kid, barely ten years old. Still, I had a good-sized basket of scrap metal on my back. I was not alone, of course. Ahead of me were bony boys and girls about my age, all born with a burden.
Boys wore no more than worn-out shorts. Girls fared better, covering themselves in patched clothes. One of them - I couldn't help imagining - turned around and smiled at me. What a lovely twig doll! Doll or no doll, however, we all desperately needed to sell stuff for food in a marketplace beckoning from afar.
Ouch! I cut myself walking barefoot. Well, I had sold my outgrown sandals the other day.
Unusually quiet behind me was my newly widowed mother. In her arms was my baby sister, also unusually quiet.
My baby sister ended up in heaven on that market day. No one explained to me why she didn't have a chance on earth.
It was 1960. Mainland refugees were all over Hong Kong.
Citizen A 上一代人
Back then I was a skinny little kid, barely ten years old. Still, I had a good-sized basket of scrap metal on my back. I was not alone, of course. Ahead of me were bony boys and girls about my age, all born with a burden.
Boys wore no more than worn-out shorts. Girls fared better, covering themselves in patched clothes. One of them - I couldn't help imagining - turned around and smiled at me. What a lovely twig doll! Doll or no doll, however, we all desperately needed to sell stuff for food in a marketplace beckoning from afar.
Ouch! I cut myself walking barefoot. Well, I had sold my outgrown sandals the other day.
Unusually quiet behind me was my newly widowed mother. In her arms was my baby sister, also unusually quiet.
My baby sister ended up in heaven on that market day. No one explained to me why she didn't have a chance on earth.
It was 1960. Mainland refugees were all over Hong Kong.
……
Citizen B 這一代人
調寄《浣溪沙》（詞林正韻第二部平聲）
夜海明珠夢海藏，願存心底自由鄉，浮生何處不蒼茫？
歲月無詞誇靜好，欄杆有力拍悲涼，回聲一燕曉東方。
Author: Ren Qiulan
人类的记性不好 :-)
I Threw It All Away
I once held her in my arms
She said she would always stay
But I was cruel and treated her like a fool
I threw it all away