Travel

You sit peacefully

as passengers hurry past

boarding the same plane.

A familiar smell

your skin hugs the humid air

the scooter, a throne.

A train clunks above

as engines chug gas below

Siam in a swarm.

Pink lights draw you in

to Gran’s friendly restaurant

your stomach gurgles.

In a parking lot,

teenagers laughing—you think

they know how to live.

the lazy cat sleeps

disturbed only by kittens

smacking its round face.

Three generations

run the ancient fried dough shop

in chaotic sync.

Perhaps tempted by

the glistening palace roof

an anxious crow caws.

A narrow alley

around its bend, a kitchen

a woman unfazed.

The mountain changes

as the clouds drift past the sun

and the birds move on.

Wading through the sea

to reach a lonely bar stool

colourful cocktails.

Boats creak nervously

the half-moon peeks through the smog

what a lonely place.

Her eyes dart between—

the TV and her fish cake

the nice shopkeeper.

Wandering alleys

house lights still on to guide you,

Bangkok late at night

Above the city

Ruby red lights flash, like clocks,

deterring the planes.