Even Numbers
How much I longed for the days
When the earth will rise to its glory again
How much I longed for the days
When we will give God all the praise
The earth‘s sadness will fade away
And we will rise to a brand new day
I sat on the wall of hope in the afternoon hours
Meditating on the God’s divine power
The fresh air penetrating my skin
And the Holy Spirit walking within
The core of the earth is connected to my birth
And my nourishment comes from the sky
Tall buildings standing in front of me
Telling a story that is unfamiliar to me
Something dynamic caught my attention
Numbers planted on specific floors
Staring at me up to the twenty-fourth floor
Today is the twenty forth I am sure
What is really going on?
There is so much mystery in this land
Two, four, six, eight, ten, twelve,
fourteen, sixteen, eighteen
Twenty, twenty-two, twenty-four
All tag to the building constructing in front of me
I wonder what it is trying to tell me
What do I have to do with those even numbers?
It’s the accuracy that lies within that makes me think
Today is the twenty fourth of February
and I am not in a hurry
I ventured out on another street
Looking for something profound and deep
I stopped at the little square looking at the lights far and near
The sun is shining but the sky is grey
But I can feel the heat penetrating my skin anyway
The bright sun rolled from beneath the stricken clouds
Warming the land with its powerful hand
It’s trying to break out from the tradition
But the pregnant clouds keep holding it back
The rain has just swept the dust away
So that the children can go outside and play
I walked around the park in the center of town
Looking at the flowers and lanterns hanging down
Everything is placed in a specific way
To display a special meaning and to invoke a special feeling
Every tree has three lantern attached and a yellow chord to keep it intact
They look like luscious juicy fruits in a fruit tree
The light posts also stood tall
with four lanterns representing the dead
They dangle from light post to light post
Leading the lost souls to the celestial shores
Life has deep rooted meaning and it can stir our unconscious feelings
I left that place and went to the another side of town
And everyone I greeted looked at me with a frown
They say that people in the north are not usually friendly
Like the people in Virginia that really made me feel unhappy
Even the children ran away when I greeted them politely
Perhaps it’s the first time they are seeing a foreigner
Or they thought that I was a beggar
I walked around with a cup of water in my hand
and sip occasionally to keep moisture in my throat
The atmosphere in this part of town was tense
I tried to figure it out but I kept walking with positive thinking
They were not polite and they don’t know what is right
I was not offended at all, it is the culture after all
I stopped by a little shop and everyone was playing card
They were trying to make money but many of them were unhappy
I walked into the shop and stood over one of the table
Immediately I was given a seat and a serious woman
Looked angrily at me as if I was a thief
She gave me five mao and told me to buy something to eat
She too taught I was a beggar looking for supper
An old man sitting at the table next to me
Felt sorry for me too and gave me one dollar
Telling me to buy something to eat
The cup in my hand was really stirring up heat
What were they thinking looks can be very deceiving
Another man sitting at the table next to me
Bought a bottle of milk and offer me
I refused everything that they offered me
And looked at them with a grin while learning something
Women and men playing poker for little money
Its parts of the tradition in this country
I hurried away from that place because of the angry faces
I was so uncomfortable sitting there
Because I never learned how to play card when I was a child
Nobody likes losing money it made a lot of people angry
I continued my journey around the little city
I walked around in circles until I finally reached the city center
Big park, big square and pretty flowers spread out everywhere
Little children ran around and chat with me merrily on this side of town
The city welcomed me with open arms
and promised to do me no harm so I am back to where I have started
Even numbers mounting on the tall construction building
Has a profound meaning.
Copyright © Christine Phillips | Year Posted 2018
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