A visual representation of "Mother and Child" by Jennifer Wong
LAW Kwan Pui
St. Paul’s Secondary School
This is a photo of my mother.
I chose this photo to remake the poem ‘Mother and Child’ by Jennifer Wong because the poem reminds me of my beloved mother, who is a loving and caring housewife, just like the one in the poem.
The poem also mentions the tough love of the mother.
In this photo, my mother is holding a lot of things which make her look tough and strong.
In fact, the things she is holding are all bought for the family.
It shows what her love is like, tough but tender at the same time.
I took this photo when my mother was wearing her favourite orange blouse.
The warm colour and tone echo the unconditional love of a mother.
My mother is alone in this picture.
It seems like I am leaving her all by herself, but actually I am not.
I am not walking by her side but I am still following her all the time behind the camera.
I am now mature enough to be independent, but we are still closely connected.
‘Leaving but not leaving you’.
Mother and Child
You showed me how to tell
a fresh egg by its shell,
holding it up against the lamp.
You’d look up at the sky, predict
from the stillness of the air
when the rain would arrive.
The language of your dishes:
ginger and tangerine peel julienned
to the finest; fish steamed to perfection.
On long summer nights
you’d lull me to sleep
in the breeze of your palm leaf fan.
Even caning, when it happened,
was a way of loving despite the hurt.
It has made me a braver girl.
And that first time I stood on the swing,
facing the wind, flying forward,
seeing the world with your help,
leaving but not leaving you.
Jennifer Wong
“Mother and Child” was published in Goldfish by Jennifer Wong, p.35. Copyrights © 2013 by Chameleon Press. Reprinted by permission of Chameleon Press.