one time, I remember
out of curiosity,
out of poverty,
soy sauce, oil and vinegar,
dried fish,
fried rice with egg,
cracklings,
instant noodles
were our viands
with rice, as the queen of every meal.

just to get by in life,
just to survive from hunger and thirst.
just to be alive for another day
and experience it once again
just like clockwork.

I could never demand before,
for how hard life is.
but now, with every privilege given to us
like a chance we could get,
every opportunity slipping by
we hastily chase over them.

for once in my life,
I could buy what I needed and wanted to
without asking for my parents' money
I earned my own and I hustle to provide

not knowing the history of how I made it this far
God only knows what I went through
which were so easier for others to conclude
too quick to judge
I hope you know what you were talking about
I hope you are not making a wrong impression
or wrong words to say, just to make your theories sound
plausible for audiences to hear

everything I went through,
every experience I had gone through
every face of unfamiliar people I met,
kind or not, trusted or not
ally or not
went behind my back to judge and backstab me
I thought that who I was to judge you
who I was to do revenge?
I am unworthy, in fact.