In the Playground of the International School, Beijing

In the school courtyard
the African boy
comes over to stare
at the child
blond, blue-eyed
no older than himself
carried by a Chinese servant

each is three years old
uncertain of the other
yet in this playground
soon they will be part of a train
swooping down the slide
black knees around a white child
white knees around a Pakistani

children converging
the peoples
split by eons and oceans.