Main Street

Arriving in Kashgar
Was like landing
On an alien planet
A stranger in a strange land

Sights, sounds, smells
Unlike anywhere else
In a country
Unlike anywhere else

But in reflecting
I recognize a Main Street
Like any other Main Street
In any town, on a busy Saturday

Shopkeepers and shoppers
Shops, restaurants and fast food
Grocers and clothiers
Hardware and artisans

People, watching people
People, being watched
People strolling
People meeting friends

Everywhere
We are all the same

I begin to see the balance
The harmony
The beauty
In this alien place

And so I see better the balance
The harmony
The beauty
In my own place

I come to love everything
A little bit more