A decade ago, the Thai capital was a rarity in Asia, a place where the air had gotten cleaner largely because of a ban on the most polluting vehicles. Those days are gone.
Earlier this month, Bangkok cracked the list of the top 10 cities with the foulest air on the planet.
NYT @hkbeech
Amidst the saffron clouds of light that penetrate the sky,
the Buddha in serenity watches life pass by.
Beyond the reach of earthly cares, compassionate and wise,
the Buddha sees behind the real with penetrating eyes.
Gazing down with loving heart, he had a sudden shock
when he could not discern that great big city of Bangkok.
Instead of flowers and canals, grand temples all ablaze,
there was nothing but a formless atramentous haze.
The Lotus Lord betook himself down to the inky scene
to find out what this smoggy foggy cloggy mess could mean.
Disguised as mortal once again, he joined the human muss --
and nearly got run over by a diesel burning bus!
A quick leap back onto the curb prevented tragedy,
and then the Buddha squinted hard to see what he could see.
His eyes began to water, because most ev'ry cubic foot
of atmosphere was loaded with a gritty stinging soot.
He coughed, and a metallic tang was set upon his tongue.
The citizens were wearing masks, both very old and young.
The orange robe he wore was stained with sewer water soon.
A rat gnawed at his sandals as the heat proclaimed high noon.
The town was such a cesspool that it shook his self control,
and so the Buddha calmed himself by going for a stroll.
Each footstep that he left behind became an orchid plant;
incense wafted through the smog as he began to chant.
He walked into Wat Yannawa; the monks to him did bow.
He climbed the steps until he reached the whitewashed topmost prow.
And there he sat a-pondering just what he ought to do
to help his worshipers combat this atmosphere like glue.
He didn't need to eat or drink, his mind was far away.
The smoke and dust soon made him smell just like an old ashtray.
At last he rose up to perform a miracle not slow;
he transformed cars and buses into water buffalo.
With a smile he blew upon all heavy industry,
and smokestacks ev'rywhere did turn into the ficus tree.
And soon the air was pure and clean, and soon the fountains poured
out elixirs for long life that all could now afford.
In a twinkle of his eye, with hint of merry skip,
the Buddha left that temple (which is built just like a ship.)
He set garudas over Bangkok, making sure his peeps
walked in peaceful harmony and chucked their cars for keeps.
No comments:
Post a Comment