When I was young
My parents had a painting
It hung beautifully on the chimney breast wall
The strokes captured the image
Of many sailing boats
Floating on a green Hong Kong sea
The sky was dark with a last tint of sun
And the boats were lit up
By tiny orange flamed lanterns
You could see the tiny fishermen
Casting their nets
Under pale clouds and the slow emerging moon
Like a lightbulb it illuminated the water
I would stand for hours
And gaze into its colours
Longing to be there
Catching fish on one of those boats
Then it went
Put in the loft
A treasure stored up high
But I still see it now
And I wonder if it's the same
The painting of boats on a Hong Kong sea