We flee through dense bamboo

forests, leaving behind our beds

cluttered with our belongings,

carrying only a bag of rice

and a cook pot tied to a string,

our meager valuables hidden

in a belt of cloth

around our waist.  We come

to the river, shed our torn

sandals, and enter the Mekong

with only shreds of our clothing.  We float

on inner tubes, trying to cross to a new land.  Our fortunes

suddenly turn worthless

paper, our silver bars deadly anchor weight.

Finally we come to this

golden land where

father words days and

mother works nights,

while children learn

to live their new life

by watching TV.

how were we to know 

that we have come unprepared,

not immunized

against the diseases of this free land-

where sloth, dishonesty,

hatred, and betrayal 

are as easy to be infected with,

as deadly

as tropical malaria

was, back home.