Songkhla Poem by Wayne Guy Butterfield

(please click Biography above for
two photos that go with the poem
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On the edge of Southernmost Thailand
Rolling hills and a lake meet the sea
Where a slumbering cat and somnolent rat
Live as islands in rare harmony

Dolphins rollick along the littoral
Sands stretch out in languorous caress
And a mermaid lazes atop of a rock
Golden sunlight her only dress

Painted fishing boats ripple the waters
Fragrant rice fields and fruits dot the shore
The rich harvest that fills local markets
Suggests no one could ever want more

Many live in the town of Songkhla
Ethnic Tai, Malay, Farang, and Chinese
Working together is felt to be crucial
Progress made by determined degrees

The community cherishes learning
Schools at each level respond to the call
Children plant trees to help nature with greening
A clean environment healthy for all

Songkhla treasures its diversity
Promotes tolerance and mutual rapport
The way its people coexist peacefully
Suggests no one could ever wage war

But just past Songkhla, Southernmost Thailand
Is a region of murderous bloodshed
Bombings and drive-bys and blowing up rail ties
Both sides daily counting the dead

The conflict defies all solutions
Through mistrust and misdeeds long skewed
Yet poverty and lack of empowerment
Clearly lie at the heart of the feud

Attempts at reconcilement proceed
Both sides Muslims and Buddhists implore
But an ongoing goal of military control
Suggests more folly all should abhor

Yet Thailand’s Southland but echoes Earth
Where power and privilege reign
The poor shall inherit but don’t seem to merit
While yet they in this life remain

Why then wonder they feel such malice
Subjugated siphoned and stifled
Though wrong to kill, better help with their ills
Than attempt to have them all rifled

No more of this frightening tempest
All sides reeling from anguish and gore
Failure of force in the face of injustice
Suggests lessons no one should ignore

Far better seek tolerance and harmony
Share the Earth’s harvest so none are poor
Spread beauty and reason, empower each person
Till no one could ever need more