I spoke to a Cambodian,
Proud of his country he said
"I left the country because of poverty
half the country are wealthy
but the other half, live in poverty
we don't have benefits
but people know how to make money
sometimes they work
for just two dollars per day
yet in a country like Australia
veterans sit on the streets
the homeless out in the cold
your people he said
have all the money and yet you waste it
you waste it on drugs
you waste it on alcohol
you waste it on gambling"
I came away from the conversation
feeling guilty for my country
he's right, with poverty they struggle
but they can stand proud
if they don't do the drugs
if they don't do the alcohol
how much violence comes from drinking
I thought, how is it, that a man
can work, for just two dollars a day
our people fought for better wages,
the world has a lot to learn
Categories:
cambodian, corruption, political,
Form: Narrative
Drench from the pouring rain,
The young Cambodian girl
Wiped her face and
Held up her rice basket
Toward the hidden stars
She wondered which way
The wind would blow
Her dreams are hidden
In the forbidden rice field
Categories:
cambodian, imagination,
Form: Free verse
Cambodian rice fields
where
dragonflies make love
while
we
dance on moon river
Categories:
cambodian, imagination,
Form: Haiku