Shengliver’s Note: This entry is a Chinese teenage girl’s tribute to her grandad.

If I could travel through time,
I would go back to the hour when he was being borne,
to find out whether someone was expectantly awaiting
his advent in this world.

If I could travel through time,
I would go play with the boy.
We would climb trees and weave grass sandals.
We would find out what life was like,
without phones, tablets or PCs.

If I could travel through time,
I would arise at dawn with him to prepare pigfeed.
We would eat thin porridge for breakfast in the morning
and enjoy a silent night
with no artificial light
but stars in the sky.

If I could travel through time,
I would take my snacks to him.
I would keep him away from hunger.
I would make sure
bark and belt boiled in water was not his staple
when famine struck.

If I could travel through time,
I would attend his wedding.
I would admire radiant Bride and handsome Groom.

If I could travel through time,
I would go see how he was toiling away
in a nail factory
and how his wife was making clothes for the family
on a sewing machine at home.

If I could travel through time,
I would stay by his side
and commiserate with him on the loss of his job
when he got sacked by the factory
because of his third girl.
The girl’s birth had violated
the national family planning policy.

If I could travel through time,
I would go witness the opening of his shop
after his income from the factory was axed.
I would see how he was building his new bungalow
brick by brick
and how he managed to hold up the big household
upon his broad shoulders.

If I could travel through time,
I would help him go and purchase heavy goods wholesale
on a tricycle,
pedalling 40 kilometres to and from town.

If I could travel through time,
I would buy him a suit and tie
that he was too thrifty to spend on.
And I would pluck the cigarette off his lips,
resolutely.

If I could travel through time,
I would go see how excited he was
when his granddaughter was born.

If I could, I would …

If I could travel through time,
I would return to March 8, 2013.
I would tell the teary-eyed girl
that her grandad was no more.