Mrs. Ong's Poem for Me

The other day, I flipped through my file of old achievements and came across a piece I treasured much above the others - a poem specially written for me, which I had kept since 1996. It was from the first principal I had in primary school. Perhaps some might not understand such an affection for such an authority figure, but I loved her dearly, and I believed she loved me too. In 1996, we (the students) heard that she was leaving the school to further her studies overseas. I was heartbroken, and wrote her a letter telling her so. On the day she left, I came to my class and found there under my desk, this poem (presumably left there by her son, who sat next to me then) :

A Poem Specially for Leong Yun Rui

Dearest Yun Rui, thank you for your letter,
You are indeed getting better and better!
In everything you never fail to excel,
Indeed God has blessed you real well.

Yun Rui dear, don’t feel sad for me,
For one day I’ll come back, you’ll see;
Not as your Principal, but as your friend,
You will find in me a helping hand.

You are so young and yet so intelligent,
You make proud and happy any parent;
Use the gifts that God has bestowed on you;
To make others happy and your life blissful.

I will never forget you, you are special,
For one so young, you prove so capable;
There is nothing I can wish better for you,
You are blessed, more than any I know and knew.

One thing that I advise as you go through life,
Always be humble, always for good strive;
You will never lack peace and happiness,
When you combine intelligence with godliness.

I have to go because like you I love to study,
I want to learn more of the world around me;
One day your beloved ones too will cry,
When for higher studies, you have to say “goodbye”.

But you will come back, just like me,
Maybe in a different capacity;
It doesn’t matter as long as memories remain,
Precious like the summer breeze and desert rain.

God bless you and your family everyday,
He will continue to watch over you in every way;
His angels will guard you as you grow,
To be a fine example, God’s pride on show!

Love,
Mrs. Juliana Ong
Principal
Sekolah Sang Suria
10 March 1996

She has come back here in the recent years. Whenever I read this, my eyes never fail to water. I hope to meet her soon... someday.