Brother Pak

by Harold S. Walker

We stand at the bus station

And I try to get one last good look at you—

Black hair, smooth brown skin, black eyes, and

that

funny, flat nose.

And though we stand but a few feet apart,

We are a culture apart;

We’re distant—

as far from east to west

and back again.

So far.

And yet

We are so near—

You were baptized today and now

we’re brothers in the same family,

So close, now.

And as I look at you

(remembering how hard we all worked to

reach this day),

I want to

Hug you—

But don’t

Because I know in the Orient, that’s not exactly

proper in public.

So I’ll love you from a few feet’s distance,

Knowing and wanting to tell you so much

more—

Wanting to remind you of the truths we

have studied together,

Wanting to tell you what it really meant today

as

the blue ocean gently swallowed you.

See, even now the saltiness clings to my skin,

as you will to my memory for a long time to

come.

So shake hands now, the bus is boarding.

We may never see each other again,

But, as you know

We can …

Photo by Wendy Chan

Illustrated by José Ortega