Delivery

O Danny Boy and

Your Siamese U Pack,

By foot or skoot

by vespa or car

by bikes or busses

like a flying jet

you paint the city

where I was born

with your earnest sweat

An empty stomach

fuels the engine

to honor them:

your family over seas

On each rotation

you memorise data

for an exam

and plan your next

engagement with some text

in this foreign language,

You practice in your head

an email to your prof

asking for clarification

of an essay question

where you’re feeling lost

No one looks you in the eye

but you don’t have time

or power

to complain or cry;

you need to cover rent

and tuition fees

and staple groceries

with no thanks or please

Plus send dollars abroad

to pay the fiscal

and get your brother

or sister

or niece or cousin

through a private school

And on top of that

your mother’s sick

you cough too

while corrupt officials

harass your dad

but it’s all on you

and classes can’t be flicked

You’ve only got 20 hours

to earn enough to survive

and only 6 months more

till your visa will expire

The stress is hardly

within the normal human strain

but there’s no chance

or way to let

that pressure off your brain

Take heart my friend

for despite this trial

and pain so deep

where wounds burn raw

On that day

you make the grain

after all the desert morns

windy noons

and salty nights

under clouds and rain

you’re going to have so much more

You may not notice

what I see now

but you’re more dignified

than the ones you serve

Heaven will stand up

take due notice

and reward your labours

with what you truly deserve