queen's plot foiled by reality stranger than the plot; the birth of the
bird; the exile; the growth as a boy in the shape of a bird; the
growing independent striving of the boy-bird and the longer flights
away from home; the princess who saw the bird and wanted it...
"Who are you?" asked a girl who was around his age. Jatupon felt
nonplused. Beauty and truth were extracted from him. He was forced
out of himself and his reading like a boy who stared at the light so
long that when he walked away from it he fell into a ditch. Stupefied,
he did not say anything to the dark skinned glasses-girl. "I'm
Noppawan Piggy," she continued. "What are you reading?"
"A poem. It is from Laos."
"Are you Laotian?"
"Not really. I don't know what I am."
"Why wouldn't you know who you are? If you were born here from a
Thai mother or father you are Thai and if you weren't you are a
foreigner. I can't think of anything simpler. By the way, your
grammar is awful. It's 'who I am.' Not 'what I am.' Maybe you are
Laotian"
"Well, I do. I do know who I am. Maybe I'm just wishing to not
know."
"And you are reading poetry to not know?"
"Yes..I...I know its different," he said with diffidence, "but I'm
wanting that."
"You are wanting to become a different person by reading poetry or
poetry will make you someone different? Maybe you are wanting to be
different than other people"
"All of the above. Why is your name Noppawan Piggy?" he asked.
"It is a nickname."
"Noppawan isn't really a nickname, is it?"
"No, Piggy is. I got that from watching too much of the Muppets