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    Ode To Cambodia

    March 11, 2014 by Kat & Kyle Leave a Comment

    Kids in Temple-9I am in love with Cambodia.

    But I worry that I am not brave enough

    to love her as deeply as I want to.

    Am I strong enough

    to look her in the eye and see

    not just the joys she has had but also the pain?

    Am I strong enough

    to listen to her tales of wonder,

    but also her tales of heartbreak and sorrow?

    Some days I just want to hide away in my cool apartment,

    watching bad American television,

    and pretending she doesn’t exist.

     

    But I love her.

    And so, every morning,

    I get up and go outside to meet her.

    She entices me with her beauty,

    The friendliness of her people,

    Laughing children,

    Ruined monuments of

    once great civilizations,

    Proud Khmer traditions,

    Good conversations over fresh fruit shakes.

     

    Frequently, she pushes aside a piece of clothing

    and shows me her scars.

    Deep wounds only recently healed over.

    She talks to me about them

    wanting to share her stories of pain and suffering.

    Eager to remember them,

    so they will not be repeated,

    and hopeful for her future.

    I cannot look away

    although it makes me want to weep so bad that

    I can feel it in my bones.

     

    But she will not let me.

    Instead, she lifts me up

    and inspires me

    with her love of tradition

    and her embrace of the future.

    She stands quietly

    waiting for me

    with her shy smile,

    the grace of her som pas,

    and her courageous heart.

    Maybe I do have the strength after all.

    ~Kat

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    Filed Under: Cambodia, Happiness, Philosophy Tagged With: Cambodia, growing pains, poetry

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