Arriving in a strange new landscape, <br />tentatively stepping out <br />(exploring): <br />all speaking a language <br />of which I have little understanding. <br /> <br />The mind focused <br />on a veneer of difference, <br />(the canvas forgotten) . <br />The vibrancy of the colours <br />absorbed in a varnish of uncertainty. <br /> <br />I return to the hotel box <br />now made my own; <br />(scattered with familiar possessions) . <br />A rose colored varnish <br />of familiarity, <br />all the more deceptive; <br />the real danger? <br /> <br />Do I go to Starbucks <br />and order my favorite coffee, <br />(with four layer chocolate cake) <br />or drink Chinese tea <br />and eat noodles in the market place?<br /><br />David Taylor<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/lunch-time-in-shanghai/
