Down the river; on a slow boat.
Slicing the water as the motors propel it forward
The muddy red waters; splashes and crashes.
Eddies dancing around; spraying at times
Water drops hit my face; and I shut my eyes
Like hide n seek; we play again.
Watching the countryside views as the boat cruises.
Orange robes clad monks on the river bank.
Run to the river; and take off the clothes.
The river does not care if you are skin and bones
Or if you are plump and chubby.
And few throwing pebbles and chasing others.
Serene, disciplined monks showing their inner self
The child within them.
See those white little birds occasionally;
Soaring high, always in pairs. One follows the other;
Wherever they go, they are together.
Not a sunny day; its cloudy and breezy
Yet a lovely day.
Weeds float by, thriving and encroaching
Of what use? To the fishes and men?
The boat man steers away carefully
Avoiding them. Of what use, are they?
A woman in dirty clothes and straw hat
Grubbing in her tiny patch of land.
Chillies or beans? Potatoes or cabbages?
My thoughts wander.
Sweeping hair off her face; the lady beside me
Tries to click a snap or two
Of broken yet colourful wooden boats,
Marooned on the banks.
A calming presence away from the crowds.
The water current smooth; silently passing
One view to be enchanting than the previous.
Upon the steep banks; logs of wood
Strewn around; slapdash.
Once giant age old trees; lifeless now.
Waiting to be thrown away on the river
For the current to carry them.
Couches and beds and shelves will they become.
For my and your insatiable lifestyle.
Men’s lecherous greed, raping nature shameless
When will it end?
A man at a distance; squatting with a fishing rod
Trying to catch a fish or two for family’s supper.
Kids watching from the deck of their house.
Few clamouring on the wooden rickety ladder.
Waving at the slow boats passing by
Muddy mighty Mekong
Lifeline to thousands.
PS : The scenes as I saw when I went on a boat and back for 4 hours on Mekong while visiting a cave
