If I meet you in Thailand
I will make your feet sore
You will receive many smiles.
But One will be the brightest
Maybe from a Thai, maybe from a farang
We will take motor rides
in highways
in alleys
There is danger
But there is liberation
We will ride a tutuk
It will take us to many places
including a jewelry shop
And if they know you have no money
Just tell them I’m here
to find an engagement ring
Then I’ll pretend and say
“I change my mind”
Trust me,
It’s a scam
If you want to have a sign from heaven,
ask for a bird to come near you
I will take you to the nearest park
and call a flock of pigeons to gather around you
Then..
I will ask you, Have you heard about the movie The King and I?
There’s a line, “Will you be my new romance?”
And I will point you to Grand Palace.
We will travel along Chao Phraya River
we will survey the Old Bangkok
and notice it is a city of rainbow
where red, orange, yellow are alive
where the person next to you is pale
and your driver is made of bronze
We will visit Jim Thompson’s house
If you ask me if I want to live there
“No, I don’t want to live in the past.”
If you want to cry but you just can’t
I will let you eat the spiciest food
If looking into the elephants’ eyes hurts you
Just look at me
and you will laugh
We will climb the highest temple
We will climb all the temples of Ayutthaya
We will never stop climbing
until I hear you catching breath
There, we will wait for the sun to sink
for the ruins to be at peace
like scratches of pain healed
We will see ruins and say they make a beautiful disaster
We will smile at the camera without thinking that this sight
is a place where many have rebelled and died
we will not think at all
We will not be weary
even if our feet will tell us
even if our stomach will grumble
We will just be happy
If you ask me, Why Thailand?
My reply: “I just want you to be enlightened”
