Eating mangoes by the mangroves
we dipped our toes into the Andaman sea.
There was so much for both of us to see
but we were rendered lazy by the heat.
Like a water buffalo
lying in a puddle of repose.Onward to our bungalows
we noticed that below our bed
there was a black and red spider.
She made her web and built her nest,
but I didn’t really mind her.
For she was not dangerous,
she’s just our neighbor.
She’s not poisonous,
just an acquaintance.
But remember that King Cobra does exist
on this island.
So when you’re walking through the brush
and hear something you do not trust
do the cobra step, do the cobra step
do the cobra step, do the cobra step.
High foot, high knees,
thank you for not biting me.
That’s the cobra step.
Eating mangoes by the main road,
with sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves.
They sold them just for 20 Baht a piece,
so I bought three, a filling snack,
a little feast.
And with 20 Baht I got a coconut
cracked the top and drank it all right up
with a straw on the beach
high applause I was pleased.
And every house in the south
had a rambunctious kitten
or an anxious chicken,
and every porch in the north
sported an orange chow.
And the most beautiful sound
amongst all sounds that I heard
more enthralling than the calling
from the local birds
more curious than the yells
that rose from the vendors
in the crowds.
Was the sound of the cows’ bells
‘round their necks
as their heads were bending
as they bowed
to graze on the maze of grass along
the path in the back of where we stayed
five minutes away from the cave.
