KARENNI PHE

I saw a village

It was the most beautiful in my life

Big mountains surrounded it

A little stream flowed slowly beside the village

We couldn’t see it until we are very close

Because it’s hidden by green plants

Some of villager bathed in the stream

Children played by the road in the village

Dogs barks loudly at us

People looked us curiously

because we are soldiers

An old man came out from his old hut and

gave us a gourd of boiled water

Then he asked a question of us,

‘When will we regain our freedom, my sons’

‘Don’t worry, we always are trying for it’

We replied

Then we left from the village with some different feelings

Later, after three years

We heard the bad news that

Burmese soldiers burned down the village

which I had seen before

I miss the village so much

I want to see the villagers take a bath

in the beautiful stream

But

I can’t see the beautiful village and

can’t reply to the old man,

who asked the question to us……..

Tuu Reh