Little Things

It was a simple gift of a trip to the zoo,
Seven children,
mostly from homes that are far from ideal.
Seven excited children,
"We don't need to take the tram they said,"
"We can walk the 5K loop."
Less than 1/2 kilometer passed under their feet
little Koi Kung—
THAT Koi Kung—
who flits here and there like a restless butterfly
that can't decide whose nectar is sweetest—
Slows down with one foot bare—her sandal's unglued.
The strap is broken—what can we do?
A couple of bandaids will hold for a while.
The gracious woman selling food for the birds
saw what was happening and spoke words of hope,
"you can find new ones, just up ahead."
Koi Kung dashed off on the bandaged footwear—
So much to see and do, birds everywhere.
A little bit further, as promised, a store—
and things for the feet, though mostly too huge.
Was it pride?
Was it grengjai?
    (that hard to describe cultural norm that causes one to refuse things)
Was it fear?
    (she could not repay for the expensive shoe—
    Three dollars—they're only 1.50 at home!)
We coaxed and cajoled till her fears were erased
and with new black and white flip-flops she was off for the chase.
Even though she's the smallest, she kept ahead of the rest.
A lot of bang for the buck, not much to invest.


A little thing. A big thing.


The sun beat down as half a dozen plus one
plodded into the food court—I think they were done.
"What should they eat?" they thought to themselves,
the change in their pockets wouldn't fetch much—
perhaps some "meat"balls grilled on a stick—
More ball than meat, but the price was right.
And then was the news, "order what you like,
don't think of the cost."
Fourteen eyes lit up—real food could be had!
There's chicken and pork and other good things.
And rice, lots of rice, it's not food without rice.
It's not much. It's a lot.
A dollar and change can revive a life.

A little thing. A big thing.