pai bursting through the fog to fly in low across the rice paddies dumping its deadly load & setting the pond a-tremble with aftershocks the size of frogs now skipping the mountains of pai untold numbers of karen separatists pray fervently for a rain cloud to carpet bomb the ponds of burma we saw one coming over the mountains along the surface-tension's wire as quickly as it came the raincloud retraces the thirty miles back to thailand if only the skies would remain blackened by something like smoke ...
Tag: laos (page 3 of 5)
fireworks rupture the temple on the hill’s
serenity the interior’s panorama suffocated
by a buddhist vision of hell flavoured with
more than a dash of hindu horror – here’s
a massacre of men & women sawn in half
by grinning & willing fellow men & women
here’s old buddha himself count his ribs
this is before he discovers the middle
path still there are thousands of hungry
children in the buddhist world – more than
a thousand monks & nuns forced to cross
the burmese border in search of alms –
they are all still hungry – count their ribs
serenity the interior’s panorama suffocated
by a buddhist vision of hell flavoured with
more than a dash of hindu horror – here’s
a massacre of men & women sawn in half
by grinning & willing fellow men & women
here’s old buddha himself count his ribs
this is before he discovers the middle
path still there are thousands of hungry
children in the buddhist world – more than
a thousand monks & nuns forced to cross
the burmese border in search of alms –
they are all still hungry – count their ribs
armed with their hideouts & slingshots
& smiles they gather at nightfall beside
a rocky river road to compete in monied
contests dodge tuk-tuks & flurries of
laughter now pulling the notes from their
pockets & placing them on the road’s river
brown & then throwing their thongs from
line-marks towards jackpots of fluttering
notes /see the worn old thongs skim! &
the bigger boys win but the stream of lao
notes stutters onwards it’s 8 in the pm &
time to go home now everybody’s happy
& one lucky boy’s an instant millionaire …
& smiles they gather at nightfall beside
a rocky river road to compete in monied
contests dodge tuk-tuks & flurries of
laughter now pulling the notes from their
pockets & placing them on the road’s river
brown & then throwing their thongs from
line-marks towards jackpots of fluttering
notes /see the worn old thongs skim! &
the bigger boys win but the stream of lao
notes stutters onwards it’s 8 in the pm &
time to go home now everybody’s happy
& one lucky boy’s an instant millionaire …
depressed as the prices no longer
deluded by smiles passing signposts
kilometres coming no closer to what
were once called destinations – border
crossings & pass-outs different games
same rules waiting for the photo-op
that might make the cost of the ticket
worthwhile – low season, last days &
the promise of last rains again linger
as clouds obstruct an aeroplane’s view
let tomorrow’s dawn break as high as
a season – bright season, first day
deluded by smiles passing signposts
kilometres coming no closer to what
were once called destinations – border
crossings & pass-outs different games
same rules waiting for the photo-op
that might make the cost of the ticket
worthwhile – low season, last days &
the promise of last rains again linger
as clouds obstruct an aeroplane’s view
let tomorrow’s dawn break as high as
a season – bright season, first day
in bundles my friend!
in every pocket!
stuff those notes!
hang the exchange rate!
just get out there &
start handing it over!
spend it daily!
spend it gaily!
but wait – there’s more!
it’s all for sale!
everything must go!
clothes looks lifestyles –
out the door!
but wait – there’s still more!
you can buy it –
come on & try it!
talk’s cheap –
you can buy that too!
but don’t forget to bargain!
in every pocket!
stuff those notes!
hang the exchange rate!
just get out there &
start handing it over!
spend it daily!
spend it gaily!
but wait – there’s more!
it’s all for sale!
everything must go!
clothes looks lifestyles –
out the door!
but wait – there’s still more!
you can buy it –
come on & try it!
talk’s cheap –
you can buy that too!
but don’t forget to bargain!