Monkey Pitcher

I have a very fond memory of Monkey Pot plants. When I saw the plants two Saturday ago at the Flea Market in Raynham hanging from the back of station wagon at the market, I rushed over to the plants and looked at them at they were my long lost friends.

If those monkey pots could talk, they would've said, "Ohhhh yeah...I know you. My ancestors watched you and your siblings jumping up and down like  little monkeys when the first time your mother introduced them  to you."

How could I forget? First we were in awe to see a magnificent plants that reminded us of a terracotta pitcher at home. And when Mak told us that monkeys drank the water from the pitchers, we were more than impressed.

And when Mak reminded us to gently hold the pitcher, the excitement was too much to bear. We almost stopped  breathing while we took turn to peek inside the pitcher. We didn't want to spill the water from the pitchers. Where would the monkeys go if we spill the water from their pitchers?

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A few months before my father retired from the army, we moved to our new home in Pokok Asam, Taiping. It was a brand new house, three bedrooms, huge kitchen and dining room, living room and plenty of spaces on the back  (the kids standard) and front yard.

I didn't understand then the magnificence of the move, but an eleven year old girl who was closed to her mother, I felt  a contentment vibrated from my mother as I stood next to her. Until now I still could see her glowing expression under late afternoon sky when the last piece of our furniture was unloaded down from a moving truck. She stood in front of the house and said, "Alhamdulillah, we have our own place now."

Another thing that I was particularly aware of was the time of the year. It was April 1968, the last week of school break. And the next year (my final year of elementary school) I could return to the same school and see the same faces of my classmates which I never had experienced in the past.

brb...................

 

Comments

[Gurindam Jiwa]

Over here in the tropics, PITCHER PLANT is one of the trademarks of the Peat Swamp Forest.

Salaam Ramadhan to you. Baked apple, pecan ice cream and all.

[Kak Teh]

salam analsalwa, and selamat berpuasa. That is certainly a beautiful plant.

[kak ngah]

Assalamulaikum, cantiknya pokok Periuk Kera, ingat ka dulu selalu kita buat ketupat dengan periuk Kera, kalau aruah mak tengok tentu dia geram, segar sungguh. SELAMAT BERPUASA,I miss you.