The Body Wants

Old man, prostrate underneath bridge, why is your daughter leashed and forced to hold out your hat for money?  What happened, what is your story?  She can't be more than five and already, you have taught her how to stand on her head and do backflips.  Will she run away without your leash to hold her back?  Can't you play a mandolin or something and let her grow up?

There is a crazy man with funny unkempt hair (all askew in perpendiculars) nudging me.  Crazy man with pink stumps where hands should be, rounded and glossy, striking a lighter against those stumps to get my attention.  One. Two. Three.  Ok, go on now, I have no money.  Go on, crazy man, crazy beggar.

I can't help but be affected by the heart-rending displays of poverty and hopelessness on the streets in my introduction to Asia thus far.  The poor in the States have glimmers of hope and pride – not so here.  There have been displays so wretched that I hope there is a God and there is life after for these people, otherwise, life is so unfair that it escapes all boundaries of my beliefs.

Signs of a green traveler.

Hence the definition of a third-world nation, and the insignificance of a human life. Try giving food, they might not throw them away.

Posted by: kdawg | January 09, 2006 at 08:40 PM

Yeah I agree; although in some circles, if you give street children food, you're actually sustaining their (or their handlers') belief that begging on the street pays off. I'll have to look into charities more...

Posted by: j.fisher | January 10, 2006 at 03:04 AM

It is not LIFE that is unfair, but us that are greedy. There can't be rich if there are no poor. We could never have achieved the levels of "development" that we noe enjoy without a costs to someone somewhere. Works the same way in both a micro (you and me versus poor beggar in China) and macro (US versus China) levels.

Posted by: vinny | January 12, 2006 at 12:28 PM

aww...i'm jealous, but glad you are having a good time.

Posted by: sweetestcutie | January 13, 2006 at 09:49 AM