In a culture of simplicity
Reserved and spare in style
The simplest line
Or gesture slight
To the eye must seem ornate
Reserved and spare in style
The simplest line
Or gesture slight
To the eye must seem ornate
In many ways
We give more reverence
To the dead
Than the living
And so I forfeit
The beauty
And insight
I will never know
Sights, sounds, smells
Unlike anywhere else
In a country
Unlike anywhere else
I am in Kashgar’s thrall. Its people, its buildings, its colours, its smells. Its efficient simplicity, driven by foot and hoof on these back alleys and lanes. The smiles; the furrowed brows; the twinkling eyes, the hard glares: of shopkeepers and shoppers.