tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39979459004583354542024-02-19T14:38:37.992+11:00Alice in WonderlandKatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00416758143986514110noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997945900458335454.post-76515297556550383682009-05-17T10:30:00.001+10:002009-05-17T10:33:23.825+10:00autumn leafautumn leaf pressed<br />between the pages<br />of my journal<br />dried up dreams<br />and faded hopesKatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00416758143986514110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997945900458335454.post-71457653691477086212009-05-05T15:58:00.001+10:002009-05-05T15:59:54.272+10:00as the reed<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">as the reed sounds<br />for the clarinet<br />so<br />I speak for you<br />my silent son<br /><br /></span></span></span>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00416758143986514110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997945900458335454.post-50582832722382317512009-05-05T15:54:00.001+10:002009-05-05T15:56:33.023+10:00Old Moon<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">old moon<br />reclining on Red Hill<br />reminiscing on<br />people and parties<br />that once mattered<br /></span></span></span></span>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00416758143986514110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997945900458335454.post-22059608232973395662009-04-04T08:43:00.002+11:002009-04-04T08:45:10.053+11:00evening chill<span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><span style="color: rgb(153, 102, 51); font-style: italic;">the last </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 102, 51); font-style: italic;">cicada song of summer</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 102, 51); font-style: italic;">evening chill</span><br /></span>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00416758143986514110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997945900458335454.post-58626748270972645522009-04-04T08:39:00.002+11:002009-04-04T08:40:08.140+11:00The Anaesthetic<span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153); font-style: italic;">Emerging from</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153); font-style: italic;">the anaesthetic</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153); font-style: italic;">I weep</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153); font-style: italic;">for all the babies</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153); font-style: italic;">I will never carry</span>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00416758143986514110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997945900458335454.post-46385918082704639422009-04-04T08:38:00.003+11:002009-04-04T08:57:18.697+11:00Deep Night<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZbWggtIY5tPczvGPg6zROXAB_5szCoHYmN1j9Ezh0WCmyIIUwCmO5CV2Hws7h8jf_lR8rqNBu5A7s-mVdLy5XcvZQK9RJPhPCWZz25P6NFk54ekkb4Yr6lOU4oZDahUv6i-mh24xYlgj/s1600-h/IMG_8346.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZbWggtIY5tPczvGPg6zROXAB_5szCoHYmN1j9Ezh0WCmyIIUwCmO5CV2Hws7h8jf_lR8rqNBu5A7s-mVdLy5XcvZQK9RJPhPCWZz25P6NFk54ekkb4Yr6lOU4oZDahUv6i-mh24xYlgj/s320/IMG_8346.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320587561467275634" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:130%;">deep night<br />buzzing with silence<br />until at last<br />a single magpie<br />calls in the new day</span></span></span>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00416758143986514110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997945900458335454.post-7208438640997143612009-04-03T19:36:00.004+11:002009-04-03T19:40:58.361+11:00glow<span style="color: rgb(51, 255, 51);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">glow of green</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">on blackened eucalypts</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">life springs again</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">on powdered hills</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">above the grieving towns</span><br /></span></span>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00416758143986514110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997945900458335454.post-88440254445319744602009-03-07T17:32:00.007+11:002009-03-08T09:27:40.783+11:00at a tanka workshop<span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 51);">cygnets piggyback<br />in shoals by the shore<br />birdwatchers</span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxSaS9Akpax0ZHVfXXfuCJKIx5fKhgutIgt7eAos7lkDzznHhwHDYFnh4y-58onFr_Na9lrZs-rB6FmOW_1LD2Y-P_nJC2Zm0QbIAFDmcGLjqs91CfqVebRJO9lmXuOcLb5j7WSXLPH3hp/s1600-h/IMG_0545.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 107px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxSaS9Akpax0ZHVfXXfuCJKIx5fKhgutIgt7eAos7lkDzznHhwHDYFnh4y-58onFr_Na9lrZs-rB6FmOW_1LD2Y-P_nJC2Zm0QbIAFDmcGLjqs91CfqVebRJO9lmXuOcLb5j7WSXLPH3hp/s320/IMG_0545.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310575393642682946" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 51);">binoculars in unison<br />follow their guide</span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 51);">breath infused<br />black-barrelled clarinet<br />lifts me high<br />lays me low<br />urges me on</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 51);"><br />yoked together<br />these twenty five years -<br />fresh fields<br />tempt this horse<br />chafed by the harness<br /></span></span></span>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00416758143986514110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997945900458335454.post-43834758473864982042009-03-07T09:40:00.002+11:002009-03-07T09:44:03.776+11:00more for the music stringguitar strings pour<br />an avalanceh of discord;<br />you bury me<br />in a landslide<br />of angry words<br /><br />dragon fly dance<br />on cello strings:<br />skill and grace<br />marry in arma nd bow<br />eye and finger and string<br /><br />fingers caress<br />a broken chord<br />from yellowed keys;<br />the touch of an old friend<br />on my shaking armKatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00416758143986514110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997945900458335454.post-38043282567926345802009-02-22T08:56:00.002+11:002009-04-03T19:46:47.922+11:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUTDWmCcTVsUFQDIDDJliLIpc1r9rPk2Wv83H6o_Ogo_deEW8I-0HFRWkDw67csQOfw3xS8BEWEV7GUfEKkFq3uvEN2KrtjoTXg6hMy6gdmPOujS9wvitLfH-X5BojkpLiP-R1MzrsiHJc/s1600-h/IMG_9287.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUTDWmCcTVsUFQDIDDJliLIpc1r9rPk2Wv83H6o_Ogo_deEW8I-0HFRWkDw67csQOfw3xS8BEWEV7GUfEKkFq3uvEN2KrtjoTXg6hMy6gdmPOujS9wvitLfH-X5BojkpLiP-R1MzrsiHJc/s320/IMG_9287.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320383772030342850" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 0, 204);"><span style="font-style: italic;">stillness<br />amid bird babble<br /> dawn mantra<br /></span></span></span>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00416758143986514110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997945900458335454.post-83198129563063846912009-02-15T14:05:00.004+11:002009-02-16T21:59:59.229+11:00a music stringI'm working on a tanka string based on my interest in music. Some early offerings:<br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);">a soprano sings<br />a ladder of notes -<br />she climbs,<br />then descends<br />readies to start again<br /><br />a low note<br />soft and round<br />sounds,<br />the listener<br />leans forward<br /><br /><br /></span></span></span>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00416758143986514110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997945900458335454.post-1301822985506336802009-01-27T19:58:00.005+11:002009-02-08T12:17:43.024+11:00haiku<span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">on the path<br />a crumpled snake skin<br />house to let<br /></span></span></span>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00416758143986514110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997945900458335454.post-8954948155174398432009-01-27T19:54:00.002+11:002009-01-27T20:22:20.903+11:00spider silk<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153);">eyes and ears<br />wrapped in spider silk<br />insistent ties<br />to children<br />grown and gone away<br /></span></span></span>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00416758143986514110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997945900458335454.post-67514319921901376762009-01-27T19:31:00.002+11:002009-01-27T19:50:53.942+11:00a hot weekend in Sydney<span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 0);">kite high<br />above halted traffic<br />breaks free<br /><br /> crowds<br /> choke the mall<br /> no space for haiku<br /><br />afogato<br />in iced glasses<br />summer melts <br /></span>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00416758143986514110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997945900458335454.post-42885561927327106022009-01-19T20:28:00.004+11:002009-01-27T20:24:27.377+11:00armidillo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy_ZaWHKn4n-657d7OkRqn7xbt14mgXYPnwBRgjYxFZ8l-RSP-h2hbZfutKCrFU5tT3U4c6B4DN59ts0Zwn6x7IGkWAwVbFdIvNQFthcLpUIcR7KyutbDkZes5vOnI2PbIObctbnzR4_Xe/s1600-h/IMG_0817.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy_ZaWHKn4n-657d7OkRqn7xbt14mgXYPnwBRgjYxFZ8l-RSP-h2hbZfutKCrFU5tT3U4c6B4DN59ts0Zwn6x7IGkWAwVbFdIvNQFthcLpUIcR7KyutbDkZes5vOnI2PbIObctbnzR4_Xe/s320/IMG_0817.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292935193127980626" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 0);">armadillo<br />looks over his shoulder<br />and is gone<br /></span></span>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00416758143986514110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997945900458335454.post-22968208323767700382009-01-19T20:03:00.002+11:002009-01-19T20:09:26.251+11:00Chilean beech forest<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj-EgBIVgly3vqG0RJtaYjjU_TKs2q1bT-8WB20l2dIr3Kso_DvggDT72Ve_9t_n2ouIYu-6Qf08nSLoC7X7zqqZI3NC7MkwHa1NHDJ-GGT-6I1NU7L1xe9XTw7olkXU9b0INcsls6trj5/s1600-h/IMG_0890.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj-EgBIVgly3vqG0RJtaYjjU_TKs2q1bT-8WB20l2dIr3Kso_DvggDT72Ve_9t_n2ouIYu-6Qf08nSLoC7X7zqqZI3NC7MkwHa1NHDJ-GGT-6I1NU7L1xe9XTw7olkXU9b0INcsls6trj5/s320/IMG_0890.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292928927160504962" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0); font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >soft-floored forest</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0); font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >victim of the settlers' match</span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0); font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><br />- trusting belly up</span>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00416758143986514110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997945900458335454.post-16988298023297741542009-01-19T19:25:00.001+11:002009-01-19T19:30:38.767+11:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiosDkqPwVQC1azvDWjdjvk9gK4AZAl7zjfgwwwJBbjv_K0xrDM2gd91bdpGFPYukDAmN-MgRD177T7JAq5RQXv2T8KQpEQxa5J61Zty9v5D9OujplL378fcg_romN2aiMpIImWSIyqRE-n/s1600-h/IMG_0502.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiosDkqPwVQC1azvDWjdjvk9gK4AZAl7zjfgwwwJBbjv_K0xrDM2gd91bdpGFPYukDAmN-MgRD177T7JAq5RQXv2T8KQpEQxa5J61Zty9v5D9OujplL378fcg_romN2aiMpIImWSIyqRE-n/s320/IMG_0502.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292919295310836786" border="0" /></a><br />pioneers felled<br />alerce forest giants<br />- more next milleniumKatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00416758143986514110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997945900458335454.post-27727478890780505572009-01-01T11:06:00.001+11:002009-01-01T11:12:25.493+11:00Parting<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifDiwQ2i5lMsXgXCiFh63K01DAu7XGjs7o-1wRiTKEbul3yJLeAHnbWZQ9CNh41pJIfx53SDOpLKsaqCiqMjtBxfyJ78XvoqJCqQmC5Gg_Jt79a2x6JPojzhclxE-cgy5sYugXhKhkJzf5/s1600-h/IMG_0811.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifDiwQ2i5lMsXgXCiFh63K01DAu7XGjs7o-1wRiTKEbul3yJLeAHnbWZQ9CNh41pJIfx53SDOpLKsaqCiqMjtBxfyJ78XvoqJCqQmC5Gg_Jt79a2x6JPojzhclxE-cgy5sYugXhKhkJzf5/s320/IMG_0811.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286111304878887250" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 0);font-size:85%;" >relentless winds<br />flatten the pampas<br />hold me upright<br />as your parting words<br />howl by me</span>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00416758143986514110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997945900458335454.post-28884555700389978742009-01-01T10:59:00.001+11:002009-01-01T11:01:11.819+11:00Christmas<span style="font-family: lucida grande;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">King parrot flashes red<br /> across the Christmas table<br /> - come and gone again<br /></span></span></span>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00416758143986514110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997945900458335454.post-41951177240172243442008-12-27T21:18:00.004+11:002009-01-01T10:59:09.854+11:00Orsono II<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH0PlyXehQ1S1ehUKNu7pKWCl1CBKFytO3ivwMdNNhuz8rhxy-DVCSc2n9Dx4sGhOKEImFvuuqbytdP4myWCCxopRYpE-rlZqBc1ecN1eASIAhNcGWC9sll0S8ipbg6ucH3waxYSZnEl7v/s1600-h/IMG_0431.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH0PlyXehQ1S1ehUKNu7pKWCl1CBKFytO3ivwMdNNhuz8rhxy-DVCSc2n9Dx4sGhOKEImFvuuqbytdP4myWCCxopRYpE-rlZqBc1ecN1eASIAhNcGWC9sll0S8ipbg6ucH3waxYSZnEl7v/s320/IMG_0431.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284413851525845410" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(153, 51, 153);"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Darwin saw the lava<br />spill down Orsono's slope<br />barren after all these years</span><br /></span></span></span></span>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00416758143986514110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997945900458335454.post-23129881165812332612008-12-27T21:03:00.003+11:002008-12-27T21:13:30.090+11:00Orsono<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-1m0LF5UaTJnp38KQEMOXvdoQIYVyPPnki0JNMtN75tlF2xnKn-gRkLkQbYooxE-M8wjkK35TLDpTrM7jvabeoQOaK_k59vW9Aqv1sGpK3oq3sPSleCNNRBVhmylQjvHTu7g1w5USOzrh/s1600-h/IMG_0399.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-1m0LF5UaTJnp38KQEMOXvdoQIYVyPPnki0JNMtN75tlF2xnKn-gRkLkQbYooxE-M8wjkK35TLDpTrM7jvabeoQOaK_k59vW9Aqv1sGpK3oq3sPSleCNNRBVhmylQjvHTu7g1w5USOzrh/s320/IMG_0399.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284409988655661202" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia; font-style: italic; color: rgb(51, 0, 153);font-size:130%;" > snow sculpted mountain<br /> floats above the pine ringed lake -<br /> moment out of time</span>Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00416758143986514110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997945900458335454.post-70224430105419992722008-10-22T20:13:00.002+11:002008-10-22T20:16:00.050+11:00secretscoat slips from<br />the old man's shoulders<br />secrets<br />exposed<br />after all these yearsKatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00416758143986514110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997945900458335454.post-61817861004034593092008-10-22T20:11:00.000+11:002008-10-22T20:12:31.785+11:00palladiumthis page<br />my palladium<br />where pen<br />traces thought<br />without fearKatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00416758143986514110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997945900458335454.post-6943749386528417672008-10-22T20:08:00.000+11:002008-10-22T20:11:44.937+11:00cockatoo tankacockatoos silhouetted<br />against the urban dawn;<br />with them<br />I pause, rise<br />and tumble into the swelling dayKatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00416758143986514110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3997945900458335454.post-80615128790858540962008-05-13T07:54:00.004+10:002008-05-13T08:17:21.539+10:00Come for dinnerMy husband's (pre Nargis) story (names and places deleted to protect the family):<br /><br />"While eating at a nearby restaurant I was approached a local guide. We discussed the normal tourist questions. Then he invited me to dinner at his home the following night and asked whether I would like chicken or beef. I said I preferred chicken (not having had a reasonable piece of beef in Asia in the last 3 years) and we made a time for the following night. His house was in walking distance of where I was staying.<br /><br />At the airport the day before I had eaten some Simosas which had given me an upset stomach. Later after a scanty meal at the restaurant I was violently ill. The following afternoon still feeling queasy I went back to the restaurant and left a message cancelling my dinner invitation with my new friend and his family that night. I said I would catch up with him at the restaurant the following afternoon.<br /><br />The following afternoon I met him at the restaurant again. He had misunderstood my message and thought that I was to have dinner with him that night. I could see that he was particularly keen for me to meet his family and despite the rumblings in my stomach went home with him.<br />As soon as I was seated his wife brought out a table full of various dishes - the prize one being a beef curry. His two young children gathered around to watch. Eager not to offend my host I ate as much as I could, all the while wondering how the spicy accompaniments would treat my battered stomach. It was beautifully prepared food and surprisingly not as spicy as much of the Thai food I was used to. So I did the meal justice. He showed me through his home. It was perfectly kept despite the dirt floors. There was next to nothing in the rooms and no operating electrical appliances (another story). I noticed that the generator was missing from the diesel motor.<br /><br />He told me that he had sold the generator the day before for $15. He had paid $85 for it new last year and had been hoping for $40. But no one was interested. He said they were only interested in getting a bargain and profiting from his misfortune. I asked why he ended up selling to an Indian secondhand dealer for just $15. He said he needed the money urgently.<br />I asked why.<br />He said: Do you really want to know? I said yes.<br />He said that after inviting me to a chicken dinner his wife had pointed out to him that they didn't have the money to buy the ingredients. The dinner to impress me was more important than electricity to him (another story!) and so he sold the generator to the secondhand dealer who had been pestering him. As it was he received only $14 as he had to pay for transport of the generator to the dealer.<br /><br />They bought 500g of chicken for $4 and various vegetables and condiments for the meal. When he heard I was not coming to dinner he and his family ate it. They have no refrigeration. It was the first meat they had had in months. Then, thinking I was to be there for dinner the following night, he then bought 500g of beef for $4 and his wife prepared another meal.<br />When I heard this I was speechless. Through my ignorance I had caused this family great hardship. They had already suffered greatly. I was rocked to my core. For the first time I could see that despite the best intentions in the world my western values coloured everything I saw and heard."Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00416758143986514110noreply@blogger.com0