OUR ASIAN JOURNEY Part 2

In Part 1 you heard about Thailand and Laos.  Part 2 is highlights of our experiences in Cambodia and Vietnam - of course all in "verse"!   Living in London, England, I was unaware of the reality of the Vietnam war or later the Khmer Rouge - this trip revealed the true horror that these countries went through; and yet they have successfully moved on.

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CAMBODIAN CONTRAST

PART 1 - ANKOR WAT

300,000 people for 30 years

shaping and moving

rocks into stones

stones into stories

sculpting the Gods, 

with exquisite details.

Among the Vishnus

The newer Bhuddas

with praying monks.

Now 900 years later,

We wander around

staring with wonder

at the devotion and brilliance

that created this temple. 

Admiring this work of art

never to be repeated.

These skills on this scale

are dead and buried. 

These stories of battles and Gods

reflect our own inner battles.

We see the exquisite (carved) reliefs

realizing we are witnessing

every civilizations life and death 

journey,

playing out century after century.

PART 2 - KHMER ROUGE

From this Bhuddist world

a cancer became a monster.

white skulls rose out of the fields,

the killing fields.

Now displayed 

layer upon layer

shelf upon shelf

in the glass tower

rising into the sky.

Walking slowly around 

in a haze of horror.

all we can do now

is to offer:

lotuses, incense and prayers.

Ruthless brainwashing

then killing

intent on removing all resistance

all thinking people,

so that absolute power

would be theirs.

Ultimately overthrown

leaving families destroyed.

Resilience and rebirth,

compassion and forgiveness,

carry Cambodia forward.

Never to be forgotten, 

but forgiven enough,

so life can continue

so joy and happiness 

can be found again.

VIETNAM TIME

I am a child in London.

Uncle Max’s gift arrives monthly

National Geographic

I love the photos.

Sometime in the 60’s an article mentions

Military Advisors in Vietnam.

Living in England I am oblivious

that an actual war started there,

and now I am here in Saigon.

The city of 7 million “Hondas”,

fearlessly carrying parents and kids.

The country of Weasel coffee,

Water buffalo and floating villages.

Coffee shops and hammocks,

communism and cronyism 

entrepreneurs and capitalism.

Families buried in colorful tombs

in the middle of rice paddies

ensuring these farms are never sold.

While our American companions

crawl into

 the wartime tunnels,

I walk into 

the Ho Chi Min City Art Gallery.

Room by room history unfolds,

from ancient sculptures and ceramics

to paintings of love between mothers and children,

to Students confronting American Imperialism

and Guerilla warfare in the Jungles.

Folk art showing village life and mythical creatures.

A Lacquer screen showing farewells and celebrations.

The war was half a century ago, 

leaving only tunnels and museums.

The French occupation left its legacies

the opera house and great patisseries.

Nightlife reveals unexpected delights:

The sounds of live musicians

playing instruments new to us.

The water puppet show

and the Bamboo circus,

unique performances never to be forgotten.

Like the most sumptuous, scrumptious breakfast buffet

one is ever likely to experience

and never to be forgotten.

©MartinStrasmore2023