A Happy Family Of The Past.... Poem by RIC BASTASA

i am not anymore attuned
to drama
he declares, so, the
chopsticks do not appease
family affairs
that old feud which shattered
glass houses
the bickering about land
and inheritance

you ask if i remember mother
feeding the youngest daughter
and there was happiness there
about a helpless baby
and a caring mother

how chino had to wait for grandpa
to bless the food before
taking one bite of the pork chop

and grandpa keeps on calling all the
children to the dining table
it is dinner it is christmas and
everyone is having new clothes and
new toys

it is snow time in beijing and
some are still on the trains coming back home
cellphones are ringing and anticipation
is too many to count.