Met a man on the beach today,
saw him taking photos in the rising Sun's light,
asked him “Flora or Fauna”,
he replied with “Fauna”,
I approached,
he pointed out a bullfrog,
hidden amongst the reeds,
keeping cool in the Mekong's mud,
then he pointed out several lizards clinging to blades of grass,
the fact is that,
I never would have noticed these animals if he hadn’t pointed them out,
I guess sometimes we don’t see things right in front of us,
until we are shown them by others that are the wiser,
or at least that are more observant,
I observed him,
as he observed the animals our interaction continuing,
we walked,
down the the banks of the Mekong,
I showed him a carved artifact,
that I’d found washed up upon the beach,
there had been a series of storms lately,
which had led to floods,
which had led to the unearthing,
of artifacts that had been resting in their earthen beds for hundreds of years,
sometimes it takes a bit of turmoil to unearth that which is covered,
see just because something is covered doesn't mean it's not there,
anyways no matter where we go there we are,
and there we were in that morning rise of sun,
we walked closer to the rushing waters,
where the girl I was with had been observing,
me observing the man who was observing the Fauna,
the girl I was with asked the man casually,
“So man where are you from?”,
it's a common question amongst travelers,
but sometimes a very common thing can lead to something very rare,
He said he was from America and that he’d had enough of it,
he said the doctors had suggested open heart surgery and he was having none of it,
he said he was a Flower Child of the '60's a Vietnam Vet,
and had always had a “stick it to the man kinda attitude.”,
apparently he had heart disease,
caused by a clogging of his arteries,
not enough blood or not enough love or not enough what ever,
was reaching his still beating heart,
the doctors,
with there religious faith in Western Medicine,
warned him if he didn't go in for surgery,
that his early death would come for certain,
they gave him six months to live,
“gave” him like they are God,
like they can “give” life,
while predicting an early death like Death follows any mortals schedule,
no doctor can “give” life but they sure can take it away,
with their agnostic diagnostics and toxic antibiotics,
did you know that Mustard Gas is used in Chemotherapy?
Seriously.
So anyways he,
was diagnosed with heart disease,
given a six month life expectancy,
and told that his current state of being was in itself a medical emergency.
When he heard the news,
he made a conscious decision,
he flew to Laos to escape the 3 trillion dollar U.S. Medical Industry,
he decided he would rather die free than live in a hospitalized prison,
that was 4 years ago from the day we met and he's still alive and kicking,
now he lives amongst the Lao people,
building pipes and helping water flow,
kinda ironic honestly that as a result of his pipes being clogged,
he now helps pipes flow but I guess that's how it goes,
gravity fed springs and moments that are enlightening are both wonderful things.
I thought about help and about charity and about giving to others who may be in need,
and then I began to think,
as this man told his tale,
it’s better to die a free man,
than live in a hospital that’s turned into a jail,
no bail,
only one way out,
nobody gets out of here alive,
our body’s are maximum security penitentiaries,
and I understood exactly this mans Last Stand For Freedom,
he refused to be claimed be the hospital system,
he refused to be confined to a bed and fed through a tube,
he’d rather die happy and free taking photos on the Mekong,
have a heart attack and die taking a photo of a bullfrog,
his cardiac arrested onto his back he'd fall until he’s resting eyes up at the Heavens,
fading out like a saffron sunset upon the muddy waters flow,
no kids no wife no pets just him and his past he wants to die happy and alone,
alone as as we all are when we go,
and we all go one way or another whether Flora or Fauna,
I shook his hand thanked him for his insight then the girl and I left,
to continue on our Life's adventure…
∆ Aaron La Lux ∆
from The Holy Trilogy vol.1; available worldwide; 11/11/16 ∆
Another True Story...
