We Remember

(Adam Cheung)

In our first Kubrick Poetry meeting of the year, we remembered the life and works of Leung Ping-kwan (Ye Si).  We simply gathered around in a circle and shared the poems that moved us the most.  Adam began by reading his favourite poem Rainy days in Sun Po Kong (新蒲崗的雨天) which captures the lives of the aspiring writers from the time of the poet’s youth, set to the backdrop Sun Po Kong. Polly recited At the North Point Car Ferry（北角汽車渡海碼頭）that painted a solemn picture of the North Point ferry pier. She also read a new found favourite poem called Pomegranate (安石榴) which depicts a fresh new images that she has never found in his Things poem before. Wai Yim appreciated the international scope of Ye Si’s works as she selected poems recited in both Chinese and French. It was observed that a lot of what we liked about Ye Si’s works came from the 1970s.

Oswald recalled the spirit of the times and praised Ye Si for his passion and persistence in cultivating a career in writing in a time when many were scrapping to get by. Helene took an alternative angle and shared a prose piece, which appeared as an epilogue of a cherished prose collection. Milan paid tribute to the poet by reading his contemplative sketch of the bitter melon. Near the end of our session, we were pleased to learn that a film is being made about the poet’s life.  Various participants have also announced that there will be a series of activities in the moves to come to celebrate the life of Ye Si, a poet who have touched all of us at a deep level and a writer who, like no others from Hong Kong, have attained literary immortality through his words, his observations, his smile, and his dedication to supporting the young writers in our city.

(photos by Paul Wan)

Kubrick Poetry •January •We Remember

時間 Time：2013/1/27 (Sunday) 5:00pm-6:00pm

地點 Venue： 油麻地 Kubrick電影中心一樓講廳

主持 Moderators：Polly Ho, Adam Cheung, Florence Ng, Wong Wai Yim

我們沒有忘記，他曾經多次到來，與我們分享他的詩，身體力行地支持我們；我們沒有忘記，去年夏天，他再次到來，也是最後一次，與我們和大眾談詩論詩，那個夏天，他榮獲香港書展的年度詩人；他的笑容、熱忱，他對香港文學和年青作家的支持，我們沒有忘記，一切恍如昨日。

他既是香港代表詩人，也是我們的老師和朋友，這個月，我們要向剛因癌症離世的他致意。

詩會的四位主持會分享他們所欣賞的也斯老師的詩，並回憶他為詩會和香港文學貢獻的點滴。歡迎參與者也帶來你喜歡的也斯的作品，與我們一起細味他的文字，思想字裡行間帶給我們的啟發。

We remember Ya Si’s visits to our monthly Kubrick Poetry meetings since the time of our establishment both as a guest writer and also as a genuine supporter of poetry.  We remember his smile, his sincerity, his dedication to creative writing, and the support he gives to young writers.  We remember last summer when he appeared as our guest writer during what was an eventful month for him as he was also featured as the Writer of the Year in the Hong Kong Book Fair at the same time.  It all seems like yesterday.

This month in Kubrick Poetry, we pay tribute to a great poet, teacher, and friend in Ya Si who passed away to cancer early this month.

The four moderators of Kubrick Poetry will share their favourite works by Ya Si and talk about their recollections of a great man who had been a kind supporter of our group in addition to being the champion of Hong Kong literature throughout his life.  Participants are also encouraged to bring their favourite works by Ya Si to share as we celebrate the life of a poet whose dedication to the written word is an inspiration to all of us. 

Take It Or Leave It

Group 1

(Adam Cheung)

It was a dry wintry night and we brought over a thousand leaflets -- each with a poem to be completed -- to Tsim Shat Tsui and handed out more than half of our pile!  We divided into small groups.  Some of us were at the Harbour Promenade; some were around the water fountain in TST East, and my group of five was at the Park Lane Shopping Promenade by Nathan Road.  We spent a good hour distributing our poem.  Because the leaflets were of three different colours (green, blue, and orange), some people wondered if each colour contained a different poem! 

Just after 11:00pm, we gathered in an elevated urban park overlooking the Victoria Harbour and discussed our experience in this activity.  We found that there were a lot of young couples on the street, and it seemed to us that men were more likely to receive our poem women.  The people who actually received our gift were a small percentage.  A lot people refused to take the paper.  Some even walked further away from us to avoid the interaction!  However, some of our members shared stories about people actually stopping on the street and asking about our group.  We also agreed that it was a very good feeling to see a person taking a poem from us and reading it as they walked away.  We also discovered different strategies in terms of execution.  Someone suggested that it was good to approach people while they were stopping for a traffic light.  I found that it was always good to make eye contact, smile, and greet the person as I reached out.  What we say to the person in the interaction is also important.  I prefered saying, "Here's a gift for you." Another person found it helpful to begin with an invitation, "Would you like to try writing a poem?"  I think it's always better to say something.

In the end, we agreed that the purpose of the activity is not so much to 'advertise' for our poetry club.  But more importantly, we all got an experience of what it is like to interact with strangers passing by on a busy street.  We felt this was a comfortable activity because we were not selling something.  We only wanted to share with them what we enjoy, and hopefully bring some joy and facilitate some deep thoughts and an appreciation for words and poetry in the process.      

Group 2

(Polly Ho)

This group has a total different dynamic from group 1 because it consists of secondary students. A few students of mine came to join this fun activity after a celebration dinner. Along the way, we passed K11 shopping wall and each of them tagged along with some colourful balloons. Everyone was growing with vitality and happiness on their faces. We collected the poem leaflets from Adam. Before setting off, we took a photo in front of the Christmas tree in the hotel of Shangri-la. This marked a good beginning.

We split ourselves into two sub-groups. Our distribution spots were the coastal area from TST East towards TST. Our targets were local people, overseas visitors and visitors from Mainland China. Many of which were couples or family with children. Owing to the colourful balloons, most people mistook us as balloon-hawkers. "Some people approached me asking me the price of the balloon." A student recalled.

"Some people speak English to me. Luckily my English is not bad and I returned him Welcome to Hong Kong." Another one shared his experience.

This was a fresh new experience for the students. They have never had the experience of distributing poem leaflets in an open space facing so many strangers. But they were not shy. They were active and keen to complete the task at their best effort despite the breezy cold weather. From the observation, it was more likely children taking the leaflets than adults. We bought a Minnie shinning head accessory on our head later on. With this special visual effect, more people were willing to receive the leaflets.

Students did not care whether it is a commercial leaflet or a poem leaflet. But they did care if this is an effective approach. One student suggested us to give out free tissue packs. "In my experience, if people distribute leaflets in the street with tissue pack, I will not turn away. Try it next time. I am sure everyone is willing to take it." What an interesting suggestion!

We had done it for around an hour. Students were claiming they had never been so tired before. We gathered together to share the experience before we were heading home. On this night, we went home with a glimmering smile, a warm heart and a balloon.

告別，梁秉鈞。