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decreasePart 2, Humans
“I’ve seen the Himmapan,” you say, “they’re strange.”
“But beautiful,” says Kaspya, “magical.”
“Now, keep your word and help me to arrange
My journey to Bangkok. “That is not all
I want,” he says, “Help others to resolve
Their problems – and then yours I’ll quickly solve.
You’ll find here many humans who are fated
To seek the things they couldn’t find on earth,
Thus stopping them from being reincarnated,
Though what they seek has very little worth.
Think of what you’ve learned of Himmapan,
And help each human out as best you can.”
So once again you venture through the forest
Marvelling at the beauty of the flowers,
Lilies and orchids – treasures for a florist –
You could enjoy their scent and hue for hours.
But Kaspya set a task for you today;
And this is who you meet and what they say:
“My name’s Glenn Miller. I came here, like you,
By plane, seeking the thing I never found –
Though in ‘A String of Pearls’ and ‘Kalamazoo’
I came quite close: I’m talking about – ‘that sound’ –
But it needs musicians of a special worth,
Better than any I can find on earth.”
“My name is Bridget Jones – I’m thirty-something
And getting desperate to find a man.
I know it is my fault – I did a dumb thing
And set myself a feminist life plan:
Build a career; all other things postpone –
I did just that, and now I’m all alone.”
“I see you’re wondering what I’m doing here
As I was the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The Church of England has become, I fear,
A watered-down, trendy repository
Of politicised beliefs without a God.
I seek enlightenment – is that so odd?”
“You’ll recognise me by my gloomy look,
My frown, my bushy beard and balding head –
Charles Darwin is my name, I wrote a book,
‘On the Origin of Species’, but now I’m dead
I’m punished for it with a harder plan:
To seek the origin of Himmapan.”
“Khun Paen am I – the Siamese Don Juan;
More than a thousand women have been mine,
Each one a precious pearl of old Siam:
Wife and minor wife and concubine.
Siam and sex – they make a heady brew!
So I am here to make that thousand two!”
“My name’s Da Vinci – famous for the book
‘Da Vinci Code’ (And formerly for painting
Mona Lisa). That is why I look
To find a code myself and stop them tainting
My name with something I did not disburse –
My new code will explain the universe!”
“You’ll not know me, but you’ll know my achievement
If you have ever flown by jumbo jet.
I’m Malcolm Stamper. Mine was the conceivement
Of the Boeing 747 project.
But in my mind a new project is dawning –
A jumbo that won’t add to global warming.”
“My name is Sun T'ai-ch'ung – an alchemist –
I seek the elixir of life, Amrita.
The legend says it really does exist,
But is guarded by three traps that would defeat a
Thief: a ring of fire; a door of spinning spikes;
And a beast of which you’ve never seen the likes.”
“Ever seen ‘Death of a Salesman’?
The hero, Willy Loman, well, that’s me –
Hero? I was a failure of a man,
Of the American dream just the debris.
Well, I am here to try another pitch
And prove I’ve got the talent to get rich.”
All those meetings really get you thinking –
Your mind, in fathoming just what to do,
Each human with a Himmapan is linking –
Though other things are best for one or two.
Soon you must return and take some action –
I hope for your sake you give satisfaction!
© Bangkok Byron, 2007. All rights reserved by the author.
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