I Have To Walk Away Again Looking For The Fresh Air Poem by RIC BASTASA

one finds a hard time nowadays
looking for fresh air

i step over a good view of the rice fields
from an Asian perspective

the rice fields are flowering
dews still sticking on the blades of grass
the sun is slowly rising from the mountains
a lot of fog hang on the sides
coconut trees are towering
not much winds today from the sea

a middle aged farmer stands under a tree
with his sweater on and his long bolo on his side
smoking his cigar
the woman in the house is cooking mud fish for breakfast
meanwhile she goes out and
starts a fire under the mango tree
burning a rubber tire
to drive some insects away
which she thinks are destroying
the tiny white flowers of
the tree


i smell the smoke coming from the cigar
it is floating in the air
the smoke from the rubber tire burning
is choking me

somehow that is what is being done to this world
brought about by ignorance and superstition and bad habits

i have to walk away again
looking for the fresh air