To live a tropical life,

Living ‘the rainy season’,

Is unusual for me,

for where I’m from,

Rain is served with a cup of tea.

 

Astonished how the force, might and gale of the tropics all

Serve to open one’s eyes to the UK’s, often-paltry, drizzle-fall.

 

In Hà Nội, motorbikes wade the water,

(Exhaust-water-level-permitting)

Markets unwavering to sell fresh produce:

The clouds, unrelenting.

 

People do not huff, puff, or complain,

Even when the majestic skies bring abundance of rain.

 

For with its fall brings reminder of fecundity, fertility – and flourishment

Of a country that bears the fruits of its own hard labour,

And its own peoples’ nourishment.