Strangers in a Strange Land

(Father’s Day - 2021)
 
To nine-year old me and to future old me
Or whatever time I’m allowed on this earth
To the dreamers of chances and opportunities
To their dreams and whatever they’re worth…

On Father’s Day we went on a getaway to the beach
To enjoy the cool weather down in Malibu
Though the day was overcast the grey wouldn’t last
But the ocean bestowed a serene and scenic view
 
For a while I listened and watched the crashing waves
Then getting my feet wet in the cold and foamy sprays
Walking around, lost in thought but being thankful
For everything life has given me and all that I embrace
 
But it was in the last few minutes of this little outing
When a group of young friends happened to walk-by
That’s when I heard an old familiar speech and dialect
The mother tongue that was always quick and spry
 
My sister and I smiled gleefully at each other
It isn’t everyday we run into folks from the old country
They seemed young and naïve but I still couldn’t believe
How sentimental they looked as they watched the sea
 
Their were faces were distant, quiet and resistant
Observing a friend as he walked in the cool foam
Their faint suppressions with nostalgic expressions
Lost in thought as if they were remembering home
 
And I know they were thinking of all their loved ones
God only knows what and who they left behind
Strangers in a strange land down by the ocean sand
Feeling the ocean breeze ease their worried minds
 
As I drove back, I thought about their homesick faces
Coming to the land of opportunity here up north
Fellow countrymen who risk their lives by God’s graces
Paying the price for whatever their dreams are worth