Sabaydii,

 

Here is the continuation of a series ‘Coming home’ entitled ‘a lonely night’

 

Hakphaang,

 

Couldn’t sleep tonight

Took out my camcorder

Popped in the tape

And let the images

Glide on the LCD screen

 

 

A middle aged man

With an AiNong cap on

Walking by

One arm swinging

The other lost in the war

 

 

A not-so-old woman

Carrying a basket on her back

Presumably to the market

How far she had to walk

I don’t know

 

 

A good looking girl

Riding on a bike stopped by

To talk to her ex-teacher

Before taking off to where she came from

 

 

Groups of boys

Were sitting on the wooden bench

Some standing

All clapped their hands

Singing songs one after another

 

From the tape

I could hear myself

Ask a silly question

If the could perform a Lam

In a village populated by not LaoLum

 

 

On the side road

Lining up as far as I could see

Kids waving a memorable goodbye

To us to me

A visitor from another world

They may or may not have heard of before

 

 

An old woman sitting on the open house

Looked at our passing car

Spinning its way out of the muddy road

Leaving behind nothing but

A taste of life

Likely out of their reach

 

With images rolling by

Sometimes with the voice of the kids

Adding drama to the already poignant pictures

 

I couldn’t help wondering

Are these the same pictures

My fellow Lao seeing?

Or is it just a trick of an electronic device

Distorting truth

Spinning out lies

 

Like this lonely night

This country

This people

Will be with me

With you

For a long time to come

 

10.3.03