winter monsoon, Bangkok, 2020
in Bangkok students amass
asking after the disappeared
in the shade of a banyan tree
cut in half,
in a diary
twisting sugar with ink
a seer wonders how to speak
of what she has embroidered
of a night world
of frangipani floating
in a sequence of thoughts
unrestricted
wondering how many baht
for sticky rice and som tam*
at the temple
that is where it took her
we didn’t have rain this season
she wept into pots
where she grew herbs
to garnish breakfasts
to be mindful
of precious disappearing words
to become
precious disappearing thoughts
after the outpour
of the previous winter monsoon
* a Thai dish of papaya salad
Rowena Joy Newman has an MA in Literature from Sussex University. She tweets at @reconditematter.