From: Rosa -6
Date: 7/4/00
Time: 1:07:11 PM
In the UK they are known as Common Law man
and wife. Australia uses the legalese Latin, a de facto couple. Those who deny
the institution of marriage refer to each other as ‘my partner’.
Our Ah Koong and
our Ah Mah
stood on the deck of a boat
Nanyang-bound;
facing the open seas
the wide skies above
they prayed
the gods of the universe
with blessings to accept
by ancient custom
their Marriage in Heaven.
And so we came into being
Thus we have Our Story to tell.
Loving and squabbling into their old age,
they became known as ‘Lou Ngaap Gung’ and ‘Lou Ngaap Na’ – Old Drake and Old
Duck – by admiring acquaintances on the buses, in the cinemas, in the shops. A
misnomer for ‘Lou Yin Yeung’ - Mandarin Ducks -, the symbols of enduring love
and marriage.
4 July 2000