On The Waterfront of Sandakan

On The Waterfront of Sandakan
( A Verse for June )
It's  peaceful here
on the waterfront,
strangely pacific
like the sleeping Sulu sea
which separates you from me...
It's peaceful here
in this small city called Sandakan,
you can go out late at night
and there is no need
to run in fright,
since seldom is there a highwayman
in sight...
O, how I wish
this is also true in  Bongao and Jolo,
or in Zamboanga  City and Tondo,
or in Saigon, Bangkok, and Siem Reap,
where most men wish
no hatred and  no gun
will disturb their fun.
O, how I wish
that this is also true in Mumbai and Iraq,
or in Peshawar and Afghanistan,
where children hope
that guns and bombs
won't be in sight
to bring the terror of the night...
O, how I wish
that you and I,
can walk this waterfront
and try
to squeeze each other's palm
in the cool breeze
of the summer night,
o, how I wish that you are  near,
o, how I wish that you are here...
Norbert L. Mercado
Sandakan, Sabah
East Malaysia
Borneo Island
May 2, 2009, 12:15 AM