Houses On Stilts.

Houses On Stilts.

The house was built on stilts.

It was exactly like the ones in Phonm Penh, Cambodia,

That were built to keep the water from flowing

Into the house.

These were the houses that love built, high over the mudded

Banks of the river, high over everything.

The steps would go into the house and sometimes the children

Would track their feet with mud, and the wives would

Be getting supper on the table.

The water would start to rise in the river, because it was

Raining and nothing could outlast the rain but the sun that

Fell after it and everyone knew the water would go down

But they didn’t know when.

Hector Soy was a beggar who lived on the streets

Of Cambodia, going from place to place, never quite fitting

In, wearing baggy clothing and begging for money and food.

One person gave him a blanket that he always carried with

Him like a begotten child.  He never knew where he was

Going to live from one moment to the next, always asking

For rides, always taking public transportation, like the

Double-decker bus.

This was the mode of transportation in larger cities in Asia,

Or some people rode on their bicycles to work or to leisure

Activities like birthday parties or football games.