Pattaya

salt water breeze blows in from the gulf,
traveling down hill from our townhouse,
white sand beaches in the early morning,
large parasols cover the landscape,
blue green water laps at my feet,
diving in i get a mouth fall of sea water,
salty and warm and stinging my eyes,
looking out for sea urchins and jellyfish,
rented a boat for the day,
watching the paragliders in the sea,
went fishing as i leaned over the side,
throwing up the previous night's dinner,
brightly colored boat cuts through the waves,
off to an outlying island,
full of tourists from Europe,
their pasty white skin overexposed,
walking around naked on the beach,
dad takes us up to the restaurant,
red snapper, squid and whatever else,
they cook whatever you catch,
and have extra if you're empty-handed,
a brief holiday for us before traveling here,
playing in the big black inner tubes,
hanging out with the American kids next door,
fighting over a tricycle that we found,
none of us understanding the other,
found an empty box in the trash,
a Playmobile train set with zoo animals,
the most wonderful thing I'd ever seen,
bought at the local Post Exchange,
these American kids had the best toys,
not like the cheap stuff us Thais had,
palm trees and fresh coconuts all around,
ate my first pizza right there in Pattaya,
the first and last time I've seen the ocean,
notorious for its bars and prostitutes,
a port-of-call for the U. S. Navy,
and merchant ships from around the world,
a little slice of heaven for a country boy,
born and raised among the rice paddies,
five hundred long miles to the northeast.