Sabaydii,

 

Here is the continuation of a series ‘Coming home’ entitled ‘an alien ideology’

 

Hakphaang,

 

 

Walking around Vientiane

Kicking the dust into the air

I came to muse over the path

Of this great city

 

Not far a time

This city changed hands

But not even once

This drastic

That it had to chase away its own people

Like they were not of a family

But enemies to be got rid of

 

Can’t really say

When exactly did we

A gentle people

Become this harsh

This cruel

 

One could say

Sad history repeated itself

Did make people

Want to cut a tie

Make an overhaul

A new beginning

 

Still this doesn’t justify

The cruelty unheard of

In our country long existed

 

Why didn’t we instead

Make use of the talent

Hard in getting it

 Or was the new ideology far more better

That it could turn dust into gold

In an overnight?

 

 

Sad to say

Buddhists we may be

But our root didn’t reach that far

That deep

With a slight twist of words

Our head turned

And turned badly

Until we don’t know

Who we really are anymore

 

I for one

Was attracted to this enticing ideology

With so much promises and so much passion

Who could do without?

 

Yes Muang Lao does need a change

An old way just doesn’t cut any more

Years and years of despair was too much to swallow

We as a people could do more than what’s given

 

Still it doesn’t give us any right

To destroy the very basis we stood on

Instead

We need a way to link to the past

Not uprooting it

 

Like everything else

Ideology comes and goes

What stays behind

Is but people

Our own people

 

Nothing is more sad

Than the destruction of the hands that feed you

 

Still I hope

Within my lifetime

I could still see

Muang Lao rebounds from this tragic history

No one can do for us

But we ourselves

The once proud Lao

 

9.25.03