Wake-up call

Sun rising over a hazy city
with palms sprouting
from disheveled sidewalks
of filth, brokenness, and hope.
Dirt, trash, deterioration
outlined in soft, worn pastels.
A couple grinds flour,
school uniforms glide past me,
all with shy smiles
and opened eyes.
Burma.

(From journal, Rangoon, August 21, 2008)