2004-03-27 - 6:39 p.m. - a work in progress - just like me

This poem will be workshopped tomorrow, so I call it a work in progress, just like me...

The Guardian’s Lessons

You appeared in Tanzania
the black knight who shouldered my backpack,
shooed away the flies,
and brought me peace of mind

"Asante"

In France you were the elderly Parisian
who with an offering of bread
dispelled the myth
of French rudeness towards foreigners

"Merci"

On the Emerald Isle
you were every lorry driver who stopped
for my outstretched thumb
You were the shopkeeper who
made sure I got home

"Go raibh maith agaibh"

In the Thai village
you broke through the language barrier
with animated hand gestures
that led me to my friend

"Khawp khun kha"

Off the coast of Queensland
you were all I had wished for
A dolphin leaping not once
but three times
out of the water,
replacing my tedium with joy
as I collected data

"Ta, mate"

You were at the foothills of the Himalayas
giving me warm chai
and showing me a wealth of spirit
in the midst of such poverty

"Dhanyabaad"

Here in the U.S.
you were the mom in Newcastle,
Wyoming who gave me
the local tour.

Golden, Colorado
a father-figure this time
you provided me with food
and a place to rest

"Thank you"

I never saw your wings
in each of these encounters –
what I saw were the lessons
in how to say thank you
The best language for that
is to treat others in kind.

30-something - 2005-03-01
the holding back the the flow of tears - 2005-02-20
song survey - 2005-02-15
song for the day...or perhaps the year... - 2005-01-25
something new - 2005-01-24
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