To my BBCs and other friends =D
Bon Bon Cats
Meet the Bon Bon Cats, one by one
Together this summer on a journey
Smiles surround before we’re done
The world is her dance floor
From steps to jumps to flying
Dreams before her to explore
-Jenny
Adventure is her middle name
From the seas to the streets
Each day is never the same
-Yo
Prim and proper, and well-dressed
Yet such a fun loving girl
To find you’d be hard pressed
-Tiffany
Her eyes light up at the sight
Of exotic places, local food
Enjoying each given day and night
-Alvina
She has a plenty, pink and frilly
With her head often in clouds to
Bright but sometimes oh so silly
-Anna
Faces and Places
My birthplace and past I meet
A tale of two lives, two cities
Generations walk on separate streets
-Luk Yeung Sun Chuen, Tsuen Wan, Hong Kong
It’s the perfect place to be
For the consumer or capitalist
Modern, open and tax-free
-Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
An old man lies face down on the street
Banging a metal bowl on the ground
Bows of skin ties where knees used to meet
-Beggar, Fa Yuen Street, Hong Kong
A woman sits, her eyes on the road
Hoping for travelers to visit
How did she come to be, no one knows
-Vendors, Great Wall at Simatai, Beijing, China
A mother rocks a child in her arms
Deformity shadows the young boy
Can her tears protect him from harm?
-Mother and child, Summer Palace entrance, Beijing, China
A girl of twenty works the counter
Smiling at the freedom her work brings
Is there a chance of an encounter?
-Rachael, Wangfujing Hostel, Beijing, China
A fair-skinned American rests
At ease in a hip hutong café
Is integration the next big test?
-Man, café in a hutong, Beijing, China
A lone businessman waits in line
Blue blazer and glasses dress the part
Is he digging the next big gold mine?
-Business, airport terminal train, Beijing, China
Thousand stories trapped in baked clay
From a search for life’s elixir
The secret world now exposed by day
-Terracotta Warriors, Xi’an, China
Sweet osthmanthus your beauty shines
Adorning the simple grey mountains
My hand traces your graceful outlines
-Li River, Guilin, China
A taxi driver flashes a smile
Says ‘one legacy, one destiny’
As he drives along another mile
-Driver from Impiana Hotel, Kuala Lampur, Malaysia
A sun weathered man gestures
Pointing between my bag, bus and boat
Smiles as he lifts without pressure
-Man, Taman Negara, Malaysia
Marketing water in Asia by day
The start of a young entrepreneur
Never too serious to go play
-John, Kuala Lampur, Malaysia
A gentleman of twenty-three
Tells us of the city miracle
Tours us along the city’s clean streets
-Jason, Singapore
A prince’s fancy on an island
A politician’s drive to open
Singapura: in full command
-National Museum of Singapore
“Pretty” says the woman on the beach
trinkets of beads spill over her head
to haggle and bargain she does teach
-Vendor, Kuta Beach, Bali, Indonesia
A flower tucked behind the ear
He introduces himself with poise
Chivalry wins hearts far and near
-Manager of Novotel, Bali, Indonesia
Laughter rings as the girls walk
“Chanti chanti” calls out the street
Lively in step and full of sweet talk
-Random streets, Bali, Indonesia
The shy server breaks into dance
Hands me a rose made of straws
Sweet encounter given by chance
-Thai boy in red aboard the Seacanoe, Phuket, Thailand
His free afternoon gave a first time
To see life underwater on fins
All for a smile and beer for a dime
-Ti tour guide on an afternoon off, Koh Phi Phi, Thailand
Diver from Dubai sets up a shop
Underworld wonders his passion
Teaching students to find their way up top
-Master diver, Phuket, Thailand
On the island he finds his niche
Away from busy Bangkok he came
Leading tours out at sea and the beach
-Guide and survivor of the tsunami, Koh Phi Phi, Thailand
Our ex-boxing, cobra-killing guide
Whom we fondly call ranger Joe
Leads us through with rapids on the side
-“Joe”, Lahu village two hours by truck from Chiang Mai, Thailand
The shy smile says “ten baht”
Raised with elephants not Dumbo
Over her my mind and heart fought
-Girl, Lahu village two hours by truck from Chiang Mai, Thailand
Traveling couple from Allemande
Laughs over American television
The powers of borders beyond
-Tom and Kristina who drive 10 minutes to Switzerland to buy good chocolate, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Playful ears flap mosquitoes
As he meanders along the path
Passengers on his back he tows
-Asian elephants, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Waters of green and aqua blue
The full moon illuminates the night
Whose eyes feast on Koh Samui
-Chaweng beach, Koh Samui, Thailand
Splashes of rainbow of different shape
Beckons me to this simple cart of fruit
Colours the dull gray landscape
-Lady vendor, Soi Sukhumvit 38, Bangkok, Thailand
Smooth skinned and bright eyed
English speaking student of finance
Waiters at night on the side
-Waitor, Pub Street, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Black, white and orange fly
Over the unmarked grave sites
Where yesterday’s forgotten lie
-Butterflies, Choung Ek Killing Field, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
You aim to main and not kill
Marks of your work litter the streets
Can’t move, I am standing still
-Children of landmines outside tourist spots, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Soft songs sung before the towers
As flocks of visitors stroll
Towards the five lotus flowers
-Mother and children outside the entrance of Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Helmets fly full of flare
Weaving through wheels and motors
Honk and cross if you dare
-Crossing the streets of Hanoi, Vietnam
Rows and rows we walk by
Full of cheap goods for export
Prices make you say ‘my oh my’
-Markets with garment factory goods, Russian Market, Phnom Penh and Saigon Square, Saigon, Vietnam
How high, deep and wide
Precious packages on bikes
Carried by hand or roughly tied
-Scooters, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
Did my textbooks tell me all?
I don’t know the American War
But these survivors to me call
-Hanoi Hilton, Hanoi, Vietnam and Cu Chi tunnels, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
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