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Printed from https://writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/1668832-Halfway-Around-the-World
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by Robbie Author IconMail Icon
Rated: E · Poetry · Cultural · #1668832
Short poem about my time in a foreign environment, and the people there.
Halfway Around the World

Halfway around the world, In Thailand’s twisted jungles of green
and concrete, Among the zig-zag  tuk-tuk taxis,
and  Buddha’s ancient golden spires,
the world is a different place.

Halfway around the world, I saw a Bangkok funeral.
I watched, at a distance, among a many-countried crowd,
a family burn their brother. 
Our mouths spoke different languages,
but our eyes spoke
the same sad, tear-dammed tongue.

Halfway around the world I met my Thai grandmother.
Our mouths spoke different languages,
but our shared embrace needed no translation. 
I brought her a necklace. Made in Thailand. 
She handed me a Yankee’s hat. 

The world is a different place.

© Copyright 2010 Robbie (robbiedfraser at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.
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Printed from https://writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/1668832-Halfway-Around-the-World