USTDC

Photo of USTDC courtesy of Les Duffin

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Formosa (Beautiful) 1

Sarj Bloom penned these verses to describe his arrival on Taiwan many years ago:

Formosa (Beautiful) 1

Arriving

Far below everything is green
Yet close like a lush blanket
Mountain and valleys never ending
Green on green a living dream.

Descending the scenery changes
Bomb craters and dirty streets
Simple buildings, strange sounds
Bicycles and pedicabs scurrying around.

Asking around I find where to stay
A long ride up a steep mountain
To an old strange looking building
Chinese men welcome me to Grass Mountain Hostel

The smell is surfer and old wood yet not offensive
It rains very hard that night and the room leaks
Servants change the sheets and clean up
In the morning a fresh, yet strange new start

First Day

The bathroom is communal with many windows
Looking out it seems like clouds or maybe mist
Strange feeling of being alone yet a peaceful newness
Down to breakfast served by Chinese gentlemen.

I feel a beauty about the surrounding quaintness
I'm no longer the same person
I am so far from home, from my culture
How will I change and what will I discover?

Down the mountain into town
We are going to drink and eat American style
Typical American dinner and beer at military club
This doesn’t make me less lonely, just confused

Back up the mountain to my hostel
Amazing how I feel at peace and secure
I’m comfortable with my new surroundings
The kind and gentle ways of the service people

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Sarj, truely wonderful and emotional. Many of us experienced the same deep feelings my friend.