Halfway Around the World

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.