A true Lao to the end

"Serve us and be a great Siamese general
or die and be labeled as a traitor."
An ultimatum was issued
to the captured Lao general,
Phagna Narinh.
.....
Having fought bravely,
having shown what a star general of Chao Anou was like,
and having wrought havoc
to the heavily armed Siamese contingent;
Phagna Narinh held his head high.
He did all he could for the Lao side
with his badly outnumbered troop.

Phagna Bodin, the chief Siamese general,
pleased with the skilled swordsman of the Lao general
ordered his foot soldiers to capture Phagna Narinh alive.
He hoped that
the Lao general would be more than grateful
to turn side
with wealth and fame in front.

Being a trusted general of Chao Anou,
sharing his vision of a revival LanXang,
and being truthful to his Laoness;
Phagna Narinh delivered a memorable statement:
"If I were to have a hundred lives,
I would always die as a true Lao."

With his last words,
Phagna Narinh was cut to pieces
so ended his heroic life
but he is still very much with us
in our heart,
in our soul,
and in our commitment
to bring back the once great LanXang.

Now and then
whenever the Lao Isan taxi drivers pass by
the spot where Phagna Narin fallen,
they will blare their horns
saluting the great Lao hero.
......
Then and now
we, Luk Lao Larn Lao,
will always follow his footstep,
Phagna Narinh,
a true Lao to the end.

Hak phaang,
Kongkeo Saycocie

*****

The Unsung Heroes
 
For many centuries,
your blood drops,
paints the country red.
For many generations,
your hands extend,
feed many hungry mouths.
For many lives,
your sweat makes,
builds roads, temples, bridges...

But not a word for you
in the history book.
Not for you,
the foot soldiers.
Not for you,
the faceless farmers.
Not for you,
the back-bent workers.
But for them,
the behind-the-scene generals.
But for them,
the government people.
But for them,
the wealthy merchants.

Now, the generals have gone.
Now, the government people have left.
Now, the wealthy merchants have fled.
But you are there.
Still, lighting the torch over the grim sky.
Still, painting the rainbow over the horizon.
Still, nourishing the lifeblood of Lao-ness.

For many centuries to come,
let me lay the wreath on your dust-filled tombs.
For many generations to arrive,
let me shed my grateful tears for your sacrifice.
And for many lives to have,
let me be like you, my Unsung Heroes!

Hakphaang,

Kongkeo Saycocie
 
*****

Khuam Phen Lao

Years gone by...
hardly we know who we are.
Some say
we are of the same stock as Thai people.
We speak the same language (?)
We share the same ancestors (?)
and we follow the same religion (?)
therefore endorsing Thai culture is like endorsing Lao culture.

Others say
we are Lao Americans,
Lao French, Lao Canadians,
Lao Canadians or Lao whatever
not just Lao per se.
See Rock- n Roll is our music
Big Mac is our food
and blue Jean is our clothes.
In fact, we rarely speak Lao,
hardly think of Muang Lao as our home,
and care more about ourselves than our ethnic group.

Somehow, somewhere, a faint voice says
we are Lao, pure and simple.
Living in another country, yes we are.
Becoming citizens of a foreign land, yes we may be.
Whatever the fact is, we are Lao
not something else.

Time has passed, things have changed.
Still, some Isans still feel they are Lao
when they are insulted and looked down by the Thai.
Here, we are a legitimate Lao generations after generations
why take an easy way out
forgetting who we are.

Come, Luk Lao Larn Lao
wherever you are.
Eat Padek with pride,
play Khene with emotion,
speak Lao with an act of identity,
and listen to MoLum with your whole being.

Remember,
Khouam Phen Lao
is what you are.
Remember,
Hak Xeua Phaang Xat
is your raison d'etre of existence.

I, for one, am for all things Lao.
Who's with me?

--
Hakphaang,
Kongkeo Saycocie

*****

Now, we are no more

Once we were Tai
sharing the same blood with the Siamese.
Now, we are no more.

How could we?
Our glorious capital, ViengChan, was brutally demolished.
Our once great, LanXang, was eternally divided.
And our numerous people, the ethnic Lao,
was forced to leave their beloved homeland.

Yeah, let them continually insult us, put us down.
Yeah, let them take all the credits what our Lao heritage entails.
And yeah let them try to Siamize us
for hundreds and even thousands of years to come,
we were, are and will still declare ourselves Lao
unlike the Lanna people
refusing to be called what they really are,
what we really are,
a proud people distinctly different from the Siamese,
a civilized people no less spectacular than the Siamese,
and a great people who rather die as a true Lao
than a faceless turncoat.

Once we were Tai
sharing the same blood with the Siamese.
Now, we are no more.
Now, we are no more.

--
Hak phaang,
Kongkeo Saycocie

*****

The Roads that Never Cross

Being so close
only the Mekong River
separates us,
but we are so far apart.
That is what Lao and Thai are.

The Thai:
They raised YaMo
To the status of the divine Deva
What did she do?
Nothing! But a hoax
inventing to put the Lao down.

The Lao:
We are infuriated.
Why did they want to keep scratching at our wound?
Wasn’t it enough what they did to us?
What did we do?
We just wanted to be Lao
Proud of our Laoness.
Or is it only the Thai
Having the rights to be free?

The Thai:
Whatever they say
They coat their words with sugar
while plundering our country,
Seizing our land,
Swallowing our people,
And leaving us hollow
As if we had nothing of our own.

The Lao
Whenever we say
Satja guides our way.
Not even once
Did we invade their land.
Not even once
Did we destroy their people.
And not even once
Did we intend to deprive them of their Thainess.

It is like the roads
That never cross
Lao and Thai
Though close are far apart
Who is to blame?

Hak phaang,
Kongkeo Saycocie

*****

To be Lao

Know who you are
what breathes life into you?
what forms your consciousness?
and what troubles your heart?

If you don’t,
ask your elders,
read your Lao history books,
and go, plant your feet in the Lao soil.

To be Lao
is not just born
from the Lao parents,
is not just having
the look of a Lao person,
and is not just having
the ability to speak, read and write Lao.

Instead,
to be Lao
you need to feel the pain of your Lao ancestors
who were hauled across the Mekong river,
who had to dig Khong San Saeb,
and who were subjected under the yoke of the foreign rules.

To be Lao,
you need to ride on the high tide of Lao nationalism.
That is
vision-like Chao FaGnum,
tactful like Chao Sayasetthathirath,
and dedicated one’s life to the cause like Chao Anou.

Always remember,
it doesn’t matter
whether you are better off or just barely make a living,
educated or just plain folks,
young or old,
male or female,
the Left or the Right,
back home or abroad;
just commit yourself to the cause of Laoness
then to be Lao or not
you yourself will know!

Hak phaang,
Kongkeo Saycocie

*****