Bangkok: City of Angels

[5am — Bangkok]
*Tuktuktuktuk*
I find myself careening
Down a dark, smouldering soi,
Leaving behind thumping beats
And strobing lights

A cool breeze relieves me
Of the sweat on my brow,
Taking the nights drinks,
Small talk and glances along with it

“Is that a khlong I smell?”

We round a corner,
And a chedi looms over us
A presence, a reminder
I see people, mostly aunties,
Lighting incense,
Gathering around a shrine

Lured by the thought of melodious chants,
I get the driver to drop me there
Opening a chanting book, I find a verse,
One of my favourites

I murmur words of wisdom
As my fingers trace text
Across the page

“He needs to hear this”
I’m thinking of the guy (a farang?)
In the dim light opposite me

With palms pressed in reverence,
Thai and farang voices
Create a din of droning, clashing tones
Flustered voices seeking rhythm and reason

I flip through the pages,
Darting eyes searching, seeking
Front to back
Cover to cover

I struggle to find the Awakened Ones’ Word

[5:20am — Bangkok]
In a dark, cluttered soi,
Filled with the smell of jasmine,
The faint smell of whiskey and clogged canals,
I search for words of comfort and joy