Nhớ Nguồn

I heard that once, during the Vietnam War, the American military planned a surprise attack against the Viet Cong. On the day of the attack, the precisely coordinated Americans got into position.  They lied in wait of the enemy. And then the lied some more. And some more. And then they started to wonder. The Vietnamese, it seemed, were mysteriously absent. However, the Vietnamese troops weren't absent at all. In fact, they had gotten wind of the Americans' plans and had instead...re-positioned themselves to catch the Americans by surprise! And that , according to my friends, is why Vietnamese people are always so late.

Over my head, I see the pastel sky,  Asleep on the black pleather, Still like a sleeping horse in green shadow.  Down the alley between the thin houses,  The vendor's bell beckons Into the distances of the afternoon.  To my right, In the fingers of sunlight between the ancient birches,  The napkins of yesterday's lunch hour  Blaze up into golden leaves. I lean back, as the evening darkens and comes on.  A swiftlet floats over, looking for home. I have wasted my life.

Luckily, I haven't induced any sudden states of somnolence in my students. ...yet.