How Individuality Is Lost Poem by RIC BASTASA

i meet you at the pier somewhere in
phuket going to phi phi island and you
are as rugged as any american can be
in faded jeans, carrying a back pack, smelling
like an arabian, half naked, and
uncut hair,

born in mandaue, raised in new york, now
working in california
seemingly with no permanent home
and not caring what happens next

for now it will be you and phi phi
snorkeling, surfing, relaxing on one of those huts,
enjoying the fire, and simmering
and drying your skin under the Thai sun

now i understand all these untidiness
this mess of yourself
how cold is that far country and how
insignificant is each body, and strangeness
how individuality is lost
how everyday has become another route
into an anonymity