Democracy's Tooth-Ache

Very strange emotions… Scant...
There is little I can do about it,
But wait for the passing of the arid cloud.

I am in disgrace today
Communications limited, or faulty
My silence misinterpreted…

The news is always bad
Bizarre feelings of doom and gloom rise
Along the rising cost of a favorite wine.

The mirror tells me I am getting old
My body’s fine in its modified role
Once it craved for sex, now I worry about my soul.

Me worry? I am not alone
The whole world is getting on
Young together only yesterday…

Then I cared and stood for peace
Now I think… what for?
Let us have it… if it’s war we need.

Need oil though it pollutes the air we breathe
Some lack food and suffer hunger
Others eat to feed obesity.

If doomsday heat is drawing near
There’s nothing we can I do about it,
To save the economy is the first commandment!

While some abhor a monarchy,
Many fear the words - communist regime -
Others go to war to enforce a democratic rule…

Democratic states today
Seem less realms of philosopher-kings
Than places where hypocrisy is well paid

I could divulge opinions on the World's Great Religions,
But let it pass
The spectacle they provide is bad enough…


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Bangkok's Chinatown

Goodbye Chengdu, hello Bangkok

The flight was late and half-past-sunset by the time I checked into the ‘Grand China Princess Hotel’. In the heart of Bangkok’s Chinatown the Grand China was a great choice for two remaining days of travel.


I found my room on the 20th floor so pleasant I had to force myself out of it… With a great view and a big TV, it included a generous buffet-breakfast in the hospitable 15th floor restaurant.


Once out on the streets however, I found it hard to get back in. I always get satisfaction from street-walking anywhere, but Asian cities are by far the most entertaining.


I was unexpectedly snatched into the beehive-frenzy of all day shopping… Shopping and browsing through the wholesale district of Bangkok’s Chinatown, walking through a thousand stalls crammed against walls, in nooks and crannies of narrow lanes. The merchandise as varied as a Sunday market, all of it brand new and - Made in Thailand. -


I explored entire areas designated to particular types of merchandise, rows of handbags and luggage, lanes with oodles of very attractive custom jewelry, striking hair and beauty supplies, beads, and ribbons. Rows of cloth, clocks, watches, sun glasses, toys, stationary, mobile phones, DVDs, TVs, car parts, and everything else…


Most wholesale merchandise displayed both, a wholesale price, and a retail price for buyers who don’t want six of everything… I was fascinated…


I didn’t see gardens or parks, only two or three trees and a splash of bougainvillea, but potted plants thrived on the edge of every sidewalk. Awesome greenery,” I thought, “decorative dust barriers, noise blockers, someone’s pillow at night, and pride and joy of those who care for them… “


I did not search for religion but I did see a temple, small shrines where people scattered flower petals or stopped to say a prayer, and a peaceful Buddha like an oasis in the market place…

When I looked up I was amazed, for my friend Garry in Maple Ridge B.C. I took a dozen pictures of the power cables that crisscrossed below the sky.

Back at the hotel I took a shower and after dark for my dinner I walked the streets again… After dark, traffic slows down a little, most shops are closed, restaurants are busy and under a hundred neon signs, tables and chairs appear.

I ate a small noodle soup in one place and in another I ordered grilled fish and a vegetables dish. Then I walked and walked until I found my man again, the young man with the crepe stall. The most delicious crepes, cooked on demand, sweet or savory, served hot, hot, hot… he filled mine with banana, shredded coconut, and a topping of honey. Order your favorite combination…

I woke the man sleeping in the rickshaw. For the remaining Bahts in my wallet he took me for a spin and back to the China Princess Hotel...