One For All

Sometimes you can't quite articulate the thoughts and feelings you have in mind. That's when songs and lyrics kick in.


One For All
Patricia Cathcart Andress, © 2002 Grey Kitty Music (BMI)

I was thinking about you late last night
To the days when we were kids
There was fantasy and wonder then
It seemed like time would never end



Many years have passed and we are grown
But the wonder still remains
Come and sit with me and dream awhile
While we stroll down memory lane

The code was one for all
How I wish we all could live that way
If anyone would fall
We would pick them up and dust them off
And keep on with our play

Now we live like restless butterflies
As we flit from placed to place
We don't take much time to sit and dream
And we hardly ever play

Ah, those precious memories linger still
I think I'll give you a call
Take a stroll down memory lane with me
To the days when we were small

Song Performed by Tuck & Patti (both extremely talented musicians)


For my dearest cousins =)

靈．感

Art class is over, but Vashti is sitting glued to her chair in front of a blank piece of paper. The words of her teacher are a gentle invitation to express herself.

But Vashti can’t draw - she’s no artist. To prove her point, Vashti jabs at a blank sheet of paper to make an unremarkable and angry mark. "There!" she says.

That one little dot marks the beginning of Vashti’s journey of surprise and self-discovery. That special moment is the core of Peter H. Reynolds’ delicate fable about the creative spirit in all of us.

讀大學的時候，一位教授曾說，一年級的課程大多由經驗最豐富的老師所教，因為唯有他們懂得如何深入淺出地傳遞學問。我不知道這說法有多真實，不過那位教授卻是位「星級」老師。我想寫童書也是這麼一回事吧－－把最艱深的人生哲理以最簡單的文字和圖畫給孩子闡明。

抵加不足一週，表妹的書櫃已成了我其中一個「旅遊景點」。這位剛畢業的老師把教材都堆滿了整個房間。作為她書櫃的「遊客」，我除了對那本Narnia彩圖畫冊和Silverstein（註一）的box set虎視眈眈之外，更愛上了她推介的童書作者Peter H. Reynolds。簡單的圖畫，幾行文字，道出了愛和勵志的故事。原來童書也可以不色彩斑斕、不濫情、不說教（我起初以為本土的麥嘜可算代表作，但有時候做得太刻意，到後來已成了另一種給香港人「去擁有」的商品；就算是早期俠侣北北蟬的故事，對孩子來說其實並不inspiring（容許我不中不英地用這詞彙，有些字經過翻譯後便失去神韻），反而是成人的玩意；是美麗、可愛的創作，卻還不是扣人心絃的創作。但當我讀Reynolds的The Dot－－一本少於二十頁的童書－－我還是忍不住紅了眼睛。這個原是故事主人翁因賭氣而畫的「點」，訴說著一個因為被老師肯定而開始自我肯定，到最後甚至反過來給別人肯定的成長故事。然後在Reynolds的網頁，我漸漸明白合適的土壤跟創意是如何「野蠻」地不能被分割：

When I was in 7th grade, something remarkable happened that changed my life in a wonderful way. An amazing teacher, Jim Matson, pulled me aside for drawing in class, instead of paying attention. Rather than scolding me, Mr. Matson asked me to try a project, tapping into art and storytelling to help other students understand a math concept...



My journey has been dedicated to helping kids, especially the "off the path" kids. I was one of them myself. Not every student is lucky enough to have a teacher, or adult, see his or her potential.

一直相信自己不會是一位好老師，但每當遇上出色的老師，總會由衷地深感敬佩。香港的孩子們，實在需要更多像Mr. Matson般的老師，也需要能孕育這等老師的創作空間。The Dot告訴我，創作就是－－

"Make your mark, and see where it takes you."

（我竟然因這本不足二十頁的童書而大造文章起來！）^^

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
註一：有讀過〈The Missing Piece〉和〈The Giving Tree〉的人對此名字應該不會陌生。我尤其喜歡他的詩，可讀又可愛。有興趣應自己google一下Shel Silverstein。

給十八前年墜落於天安門夜空的每一顆星

灰灰的雲斷斷續續地遊走於披著星塵的夜空，鎂光燈照射的舞台後盡是滿山的萬家燈火，吃力地維持著一片彷彿要赫然墜下的歌舞昇平；它們沒有試圖掩飾心中的埋怨，它們惱恨為何穹蒼只鋪陳了一片如斯稀疏的星斗──讓窮乏的百姓呼喊吧，讓他們以僅餘的殘燭，燃亮著蹩腳的城市前行的路。

熱情溶化了蠟燭的純潔，把我們曾經如白紙般的單純煉淨；心中不滅的火把淚水燒得沸騰。從不互相牴觸的光與黑暗，在沒有是非黑白的國度，把我們的良知薰得又黑又亮。他們喊著口號，他們為爭取自由高歌，他們聲嘶力竭地駡；然而我選了另一種悼念的方式──埋首我的筆記本，邊畫、邊寫、邊哭；偶爾也跟大家唱一闕歌──我無法讓自己深處的聲音給大會所發的聲音活埋，於是整晚掙扎著，要把那些零碎的意念都記下；回家後才發現，它們真的散亂得不成文章，只能被拼貼在相片與相片之間，祈求歷史不要把它們遺忘。

我於三月底首次聽到胡佳的故事，同時認識了一些關心他、也關心中國的朋友，其中十二位很希望於零七年的六四晚會裡獻上悼念和思念的花。後來負責人邀請我構思花圈的上、下款，這讓我想起了一段已褪色的記憶：六四那一年，我還是個不懂事的小二學生；記得在老師宣佈提早下課的那一天，我跟隔鄰的同學說：「好啊，可以回家多摺幾顆幸運星！」我想那時風靡小學生的玩兒大概就是把七彩的紙條摺成幸運星吧。如此我對六四的記憶便繫上一條星的尾巴。後來我漸漸明白那些敢言、 敢死的孩子原來是為了我們才於八九年的仲夏捨身摘星，所以很希望把點點滴滴的感觸都寫到花圈的上、下款裏；僅此而已。

六月天，陰晴不定的季節，黑夜，白蠟燭，熊熊的火，閃爍的星。

獻給十八前年墜落於天安門夜空的每一顆星
十二個被星火點燃的香港孩子上