A poem I wrote in Bali (Megan)

Stories from Fiji and Bali

I saw many people searching.

I saw more people begging.

I heard one person’s soul speaking after many days of listening.

I read about two men whose bodies were burning for justice.

What have I learned?

I watched lines of ants telling their stories like peddlers in the markets.

Where trying is watching,

But doing is nothing and spending is abounding.

I’ve danced with stray dogs like no one was watching on the water’s low tide.

What have I learned?

We cannot predict.

I’ve been myself in a crowd of strangers.

I’ve been a stranger to myself.

I wrote what I thought, what I saw, what I hated.

I wrote without thinking.

What have I learned?

Everything changes.

I was knocked down by the powerful sea.

I was knocked down by the sight of a mother.

I begged and pleaded.

I sat in silence.

What have I learned?

Say “no” with warmth.

I met two brothers who went crazy and spoke with a different language.

I met a crazy man with a broken foot who laughed with commitment.

He knew my uncle and helped him mend a broken heart.

I walked through a graveyard in search of a helpful palm tree.

What have I learned?

Where language is abundant, limiting, and revealing-

I will reflect a true message.

In a world of constant speaking I will speak in a way that is meaningful to me…and maybe to you.

Megan (March 7, 2007. Ubud, Bali)