Rainy Dog Days

The rains wax and wane, leaving the driveway

rutted like the top of homemade bread when

the heat lamp sun comes out.  Last week my

aging dog bit one of my students: an eleven-year

old boy nearly as big as I am.  But the bite scared him,

brought him to tears.  Even my dog seems to know

I can’t give away something for free that

no one here really wants.  My wife leaves almost

nightly to be in the company of Thai men, leaving

me to babysit her ten-year old granddaughter. 

The child is amazing and has imprinted me as the

parent her mother and grandmother have never

learned to be. It’s a cultural thing, a generation thing. 

I know I should be happy for being given this pearl,

but my heart is water sodden as the rains

wax and wane. 

FG       10/2/2016

Culture is the third man in education and relationships.  In Thailand which is ethnically all the same, this man is a giant.

Beam plays Minecraft for hours on my computer and rarely have I ever seen such diligence.  She takes notes and watches her smart phone for – I have no idea, possible codes to break through walls?  When I want my computer back, she just picks up her gear like a stenographer and leaves.  Amazing Thailand.