Today I found a time traveller, yes I did;
He sits in the corner of the room,
slightly nodding his head;

He wears a red batik shirt, and left his shoes at the door;
The carpet is ornate, swirls around the floor;
The shelves are filled with books, old and new,
Covers and titles in brown and blue;

Golden lights with gentle glow,
Smells more pleasant than myrrh or rose;
Music comes from a record player,
next to it, a CD player;

He sits there reading and listening and nodding his head,
Kuih and ketupat are his friends;

Bongo drums next to a guitar,
And milky chocolates in a jar;
A keris in a frame on the wall,
And ceramic tea cups for time travellers and all;

He smiles at me,
The clock ticks by,
Fireworks for Raya boom outside;

Shh…
He hides behind his book,
I don’t like crowded parties, not at all!

How funny, that my cousin brother would say that,
When he’s the most fun-loving guy my family has;

He flips a page and quietly eats,
Dabs the crumbs off his cheeks;
Maybe I know so little of him after all,
I shan’t bother him anymore;

Today I found a time traveller, yes I did,
he has all the stories in his head.

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Cover image by Taryn Elliott. The copyright of ‘The Time Traveller’ belongs to Lavinia Grace Sebastian.