The Little Prince of Laughter and Happiness

Never for once you stop laughing,
even after you visited the king.
You possess deep within
a happiness that keeps you going.

You shouldn't have alerted the king,
who is a fastidious human being.
No one understands his loneliness,
though he rules the entire universe.

Migratory birds as your companions,
they brought you to the conceited men.
Lonely and forlorn,
they waited ages for a chance to perform.
Admired by your applause,
they gathered the hope to live on.

Soaring with the birds you followed
to a land of drunkards in deep sorrow.
You wished they could become happy,
but they were so drunk
that they couldn't see
If they could listen to you
the ignorance in their lives
could be revealed,
"There's nothing to be ashamed,
no one has the right
to throw you in disdain!"

As night gave birth to dawn
a nearby planet spun on.
On it lived the lamplighters,
who tried not to falter,
in putting on and out the lamps
without a moment of rest.

When you waved at the stars,
they confided without pretense
that they were all owned and patented
by the red-faced businessman!
He never smelled a flower,
all he ever knew was how
to increase his governing power.
"How can you own
something you can't physically hold?"
He stared at you flabbergasted
and you were very disappointed.

You thought some wise scholars
could have had answers,
so you visited the geographer.
Yet he claimed he don't count flowers,
just because they are ephemeral.
He never knew flowers also grow
on mountains and banks of rivers,
and nothing remains forever.

It's time for you to leave
for true friendship you must seek.
"What is essential is invisible to the eyes"
True friends are not on sale in the shops
where you can buy.
That is why you must spend some time to tame
the fox who longed to be your mate.
You become responsible for your rose
you watered and listened to every day,
with your heart so close.

The day when you said goodbye,
we tried hard not to cry.
Your laughter from above the skies reverberates
in our hearts,
cheering us on the many paths in life
we choose to take.
We will always remember you
as we embark each day refreshed and anew.

Ghim Seng
Completed on 25 Jan 2008, 6.15pm,
dedicated to all FD students and ICs