Luyện nghe bài hát Tibetan Side of Town

Through rutted winding streets of
crowded humans cows dogs rickshaws -
Storefronts constellated of bluewhite
Bright darkening walls

The butterfly sparkle in my eye still seems
To that last shot of red sun through haze over jumbled roofs
moves like slow fluid in this atmosphere
Thick as
With sewage, incense, dust and fever and the smoke of kilns and cremations -
Tom Kelly's bike down -
we're drinking on the Tibetan side of town.

Beggar withered legs sits sideways on skateboard, grinning
a joke going on somewhere but we'll never know
Those kids with hungry eyes must be in on it too
With their clinging memories of a crushed
By Chinese

Pretty young mother by the gate
Covers her baby's face against diesel
That of concern - you can see it still -
Not yet by the hard lines of a woman's
Struggle to

Hard bargains going
When you're living on the side of town.

Big red Enfield lurches to a halt in the dust
Last of engine leaves a ringing in the ears
That fades into the rustle of bare feet and slapping
And the moan of long bronze trumpets
Muffled by walls.

Prayer flags like whips in the breeze
Sending to the world - tonight the message blows
Dark door opens to warm yellow room and
Are these jugs of hot millet beer
and I'm sucked into the like this liquor up
This straw

Sweet tungba sliding -
on the Tibetan side of town