As I waited for ESL students at my table
Two students came an sat near me
They had come last week
One woman hailed from Bangla - Desh
The young man from war - torn Yemen
I went over some points of English grammar with them
As we reviewed prepositions
I began to wonder what the fighting is all about
They know I'm a Jew
They are trying - like millions of others in this metropolis
to build a decent life for themselves here
They have probably never heard of the Turtles
But I have found that bridges can be built between cultures
Believe it - if we persist
Then bridges can be built!
Made it into
the
community
college
where I have worked for
many years
Stopped off for a large
green tea
before dealing with
my Bengali students
who are trying hard
to speak and write in
English
I ask them how
to
say
"hello" in Bengali
Later, I give them grammar
exercises
Query them about the leadership
of Bangla Desh
The young Bengali woman says
I'm just an ordinary person
which I take to mean she doesn't seek
power
A new student arrives later on
I ask her where she is form
She says "The Sudan"
I ask - "Wasn't there a war there?"
She replies that Southern Sudan
is a separate country now
Trouble in distant lands
affects us all nowadays
The young woman says
she has to leave for a class
I but another green tea
and take a deep breath
The day rolls on
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