Violent
Fire
Consumes
Valleys
Distant
Choking
Smoke
Creates
Pastel
Twilight
Artistry
Calm
Lake
Okanagan
Consumes
Valleys
Distant
Choking
Smoke
Creates
Pastel
Twilight
Artistry
Calm
Lake
Okanagan
The mountains
And the sea
Beneath azure skies
Underway
Destination of no concern
And I
Reflecting
Alone
In my thoughts
With nary
A care
But for the beauty
Of it all
Between
The day behind
The day ahead
When time
Is all
My own
A quiet
Internal
Revel
In the beauty
Of it
All
And I
Becalmed
On the quiet sea
Furl my sails
Start the engine
Turn for home
To which I bring
This peaceful moment
Rain quells nature’s sounds
No songbirds sing
No children shout
Ours are the only ears
To hear
The gentle white-noise patter
Of rainfall
Coming back to Earth
In Thailand
Malaysia
China
Japan
Though, not the laughing Buddha
The plump one
In the midst of
A rollicking guffaw
No, not that Buddha
Rather, the somber, reflective one
The one it seems
The weight of the world
Rests lightly
On his androgynous shoulders
I arrive in Rishikesh
Where the Ganga
Gently exits
The Himalaya
Heave a sigh
Breathe deeply
And collect myself
On the riverbank