21. Working for a Refugees Resettlement Agency in Philadelphia
21. Working as a Caseworker for NSC in Philadelphia
The Diep Thai family lived in Philadelphia,
Graciously, they let me sleep on their couch.
The B.S. in PNG Engineering was just a piece of shit;
It was useless for me, as if everyone thought it was a real BS.
I went back to the restaurant I’d worked in the summer,
The owner kindly took back the student he knew.
After working at the Chinese Restaurant for six months,
I found a caseworker job helping new Asian refugee folks.
At that time there were so many refugees coming to Philadelphia.
Afghans, Cambodians, Vietnamese, Laotians, and Ethiopians.
They came to Philadelphia in groups large and small;
Vietnamese Boat People were the largest group of all.
Because I had a job, but not the one I went to school for.
Even though my salary was not much, it was enough.
On weekends, I usually went out with friends,
Visiting strip clubs and steamy Chinatown hot bath dens.
Being single with no children,
I spent all my money on prostitutes.
My life was quite a mess,
Though the women of the night felt blessed.
Incidentally, I found myself in a love affair
With a woman who was insanely fair.
We gave each other our bodies, our souls,
Wishing that our lives could be one whole.
Awakened from the dream, I just said,
When I felt my underwear messy with wet sticky cream,
“Oh my darling, I’ll be fine if we never meet.”
How could we live our separate lives once we had met?
When would I meet her again?
Let me look at her long eyelashes.
Seeing her, I remember the way
Her body jerked with ecstasy.
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