KIRK LAFFERTY

I wait for the rain to stop Donning enough plastic to clog a small stream Tighten ropes over my bags  Watching the coffee drip Each drop slower than the last Not a country where things are done fast A snake laid an ever-winding path for me to follow Over the border the dragon Leading me on   Breathing harder As shear drops gather A sacrifice here Gravestone, A mannequin that used to be a man Surrounded by plastic flowers Perched on a rock wall for all to see Someone who didn’t survive the journey Erie Mists enclose In clouds fine tears Cliffs lean down Lurching Pushing me towards the precipice In this day   I will see Mountain passes in rain Streams and waterfalls under sun A pig in its last cry, almost human being dressed for a wedding feast Laid out between the showers. An old woman with a wood load As big as a house Her daughter only 3 next to her With a cos lettuce tied to her back Smiles abundant Smal

A lake in Hanoi Flowers before every monument Petals brighten Someone taught me that Orchids I see between lilies A reminder of my father past Who grew them in the thousands Somewhere else Another time. To a Cantonese restaurant, I go To enjoy all of the food He talked about To relive a past In footsteps walked And places similar But not the same Footsteps that made no sound During wars Another time Over dinner I realise Travelling alone When you have travelled With love Someone else to share It’s is not the same Harder now No hand to hold Though memories shine Of another time. Over dinner I find No matter where you go You are always alone. But flowers blossom Brighten memories A past love Only an aroma away For today I dined with my father past And I am not alone This time