SANGKHLABURI

The Lord God of Israel, my Heavenly Father,
brought me to this idyllic town
which is rested on hills,
to rest a few days
from travelling for many hours :
from Saigon, South Vietnam,
to Pnom Penh in Cambodia,
from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville,
then back to Pnom Penh,
from Pnom Penh to Siem Reap,
from Siem Reap to Poi Pet
and then I crossed the border to Aranyaphratet in Thailand,
from Aranyaphratet to Chantaburi,
from Chantaburi to Bangkok,
from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi,
and from Kanchanaburi to this peaceful town
rested on hills...

O, the pilgrim from the Philippines...

I am writing this poem
under a tall, slender tree,
and below this hill where I am
is a huge lake.
I see tourists, probably from Europe,
laughing and cheering on a raft
and in the kayak which they rented...


I see the houses on the hills
on the opposite side of the lake.
I see houses floating on the water,
like the ones I saw in the lakes of Cambodia.
Thailand has many hills
and mountains,
and most of these still abound with trees,
and perhaps wildlife...


The lake is at rest
with gentle ripples
softly caresssed by west wind...

My Heavenly Father
brought me to this idyllic town,
rested on hills near the Burma border
to meet new friends like Pastor Baw Gyee 
and his sister Ni Mar, and their families,
and other Christians from Burma
who settled here...

I think I want to come back
to this place 
with June and our children,
to meet my new friends and brethren 
once again,
and sit where I am seated
to see this scenic lake where strangers swim,
in this idyllic town of Kanchanaburi province
here in Thailand, 
near the Three Pagodas Pass 
of the land of the Mons and Karens.


NORBERTO L. MERCADO
P Guesthouse Garden, Sangkhlaburi, Kanchanaburi,Thailand
Sunday, March 18,2012, 3:06 PM

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