The sand is the same
So is the water, greyish blue, wavy
Unloading flotsam on the Andaman shore
Clouds tumble by, high in the sky
Like they always have
Paying no attention to their fuzzy shadows below
Trees still stand, a little more weathered perhaps
Early morning fisherman set their nets
Less in number, more in fear
Feral dogs with no homes of their own
No beachcomber’s scraps for survival
The same but different
The palm-thatched roofs are no longer there
Timbered shanties gone forever
A wall here, toppled beams there
Ghostly remnants of backpackers’ havens
Empty chairs and empty tables
Mangled, deserted and forlorn
One year ago, the mighty ocean spoke
Responding to the growling, quaking earth
A single transient devastating surge
That tore apart those who collectively
Lived down by the sea
And then returned to normal
The same sand and the same ocean
Rearranged rocks on a devastated land
Phuket, Thailand, December 2005
