Katong House/Sea Avenue
The Katong House had 10 rooms and 3 stories. 9 sons and 4 daughters.
As if to spite extermination:
brood of 13.
#1 would go out to sea
#2 –also a sailor, would walk to the beach from Katong house and bring back bushels of fish,
dangling from his fingers. When locals asked where he caught them
he lied.
#3 was still in Hainan,
#4 a communist --worked at a refinery
#5 would go out to sea
#6 was ah beng and a sailor
#7 ran a food-stall and was also a bit ah beng,
#8 went sailing,
#9 played football.
With nothing but blood
They all became sailors under the mango tree
They ran amok the levels of wood
(#6 broke all his teeth in sailing accident)
33 heavens and 18 hells
The house was so big, some thought we were rich.
Big house, big money must be people say with disdain “Chinese”
And we return the disdain
But never locked the gates. Beggars would frequent the door