Stop Day

A day when you stop is the phrase for day off in Thailand, and today in this part of the world, the pace slowed, the skytrain and subway were uncrowded, and my little street was quiet. The sky was brilliant and the air was cool and the sunlight felt like a benediction, not a punishment. 

Today the King of Thailand turned 81 and the love that his people feel for him was almost something that could be held between two outstretched hands--it permeated the air of this often frenzied city and made it nearly still. 

Tonight at the time that he was born, my little subsoi went dark and the light of candles appeared at windows and doorways. All over the kingdom, at that moment, people stood in honor of their king, holding blazing tapers. The sounds of exploding fireworks could be heard in the distance, as flames flickered in the darkness, every one of them a silent wish.