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Sabaydii,
Here is the continuation of a series ‘Coming home’ entitled
‘On the route to
Hakphaang,
Kongkeo Saycocie
Route 13 well paved
Running along the
Connecting most of the major towns
From north to south
Along its sides
Stood villagers
Ready to savor
What modern life
Had to offer
At many spots
Shops opening
Villagers stopping by
And kids playing
By the road
It did take a moment
To sink in
This is
A land where contrasting things
Are juxtaposed
There
Fast moving cars
Flying at top speed
And here
Slow moving buffaloes
Dragging their tired legs
Just to move across the field
No one just can’t figure out
Danger looms everywhere
With one slight turn of the wheel
Life and death is but a sad reality
Don’t know
Why
Its space with pedestrians
Or it is nobody’s business
Pak Kading[1]
Where the road was dangerously curved
Where it claimed so many lives before
Our driver recited a mantra
Not until we passed through
Reputedly a haunted spot
Did he stop the mantra[2]
And puffing out a big sign of relief
Muang Lao
a land of superstition
A far cry from the dialectic materialism[3]
The new regime was so proud of
Greeting us
Outside Pak Kading
Was the grand Buddha statue
In its sitting posture
Overlooking mortals like us
From a lush hill
We stopped the car
Enjoying the view
I took off to the
The very place I crossed it
To the Thai side
Close to 20 years ago
Today
At the shore
Paksane[4] shore
Kids were climbing the tree
Holding their breath
And jumping head on into the river
With my mind collected
I looked at the kids
With a calm composure
And let the bygones be bygones
Will the new regime do the same?
Or this land belongs to them alone?
8.21.03
[1] The section of the river and the land surrounding it where not only the navigation of the boats but trucks was hard. It was said that there was a spirit guarding the place.
[2] A magic formula purportedly given by the monk.
[3] The supposedly scientific belief that only matter counts, nothing else. And only through matter, can we find truth.
[4]A town halfway between