Pad Thai ผัดไทย

A memory in Nong Khai of a night market vendor of pad thai.

Pad Thai ผัดไทย

His eyes sparkled,
a wide grin folding paper thus and so,
a square becoming a tent guarding limp noodles
steaming in the middle.
Was it his grin or his eyes
that drew you in?

Deft hands
held an open heart
closed to your thoughts
of wishing you were young.
It was the glow surrounding him
that drew you in.

At home, alone,
you undid what he had done,
savoring wide noodles,
seasoned with just enough black pepper
to transport you to another realm,
a place where he will laugh each day,
fluff the pillows as he makes the bed,
stir the embers that burn within you,
then draw you in.

© Kåre Enga (14.januar.2025)

21 lines

A memory of the night market in Nong Khai, Thailand. Original in "Pad Thai"