In the calm of a lakeshore afternoon
Even the gulls fall silent
Light breezes reveal in relief
Where ripples swath the glassy smooth
Warm exhalations condense in the chill
With measured breaths
Close eyes
Breathe in the peace
Distant buzz grows
Hull thuds against the lake
Casts sprays of white noise
Laughter rises in several tones
Then slowly fades away toward silence
Until the wake finds the rocky shore
Splash
Splash
Another splash
Now stillness
But for the breeze
And my breath
They call this “golden hour”
But every hour spent with you
Is golden
“Too bad about the weather,” she says
I’m framing a photograph
Camera in hand though not to eye, just yet
“Yesterday was perfect
Bright and sunny
Not a cloud in the sky”
I like today just fine, I tell her
As a frame begins to form in my mind’s eye
“But it’s so dismal and grey!”
Blue skies at noon
Are a bright, empty smile
She looks at me, head tilted
It’s a sky without character, mood
The light falls straight down, casts no shadows
Still the look
It’s dull
“You prefer dour to dull?”
I do
“Perhaps that says more about you.”
I smile, and nod
Half because, perhaps, she’s right
And half because I’ve found the frame
Camera to eye … click
I show her the screen
“Oh! That’s beautiful!”
Trapped
By choices
Inertia generated
Stop
Accept no legacy
From past choices
Reconnoiter
Reconsider
The trap releases
Choose
A new path
From the possibilities revealed
She flowed
Into the sea of humanity
With the ferocity
Of a flash flood
Creating whorls and eddies
And a floe of debris
Which endured long after
Humanity finally swallowed her whole
Above
A half moon
Below
Constellations of daisies
Quiver in the dewy grass
Between
The tower seeks
A delinquent sun
On a morning ruled by mist
I find few moments more soothing
Than a cool, grey day
Whose listless breezes stir a gentle rain
Droplets patter pane and sill
And I, warm and dry
With a steaming mug
Turn the pages of a book
Offering scant attention to its contents
There was a small crack
Which let the light in
Amber and warm
To dispel the gloomy darkness
But left the shadows
So I could see both
Where I was going
And where I’d come from
Every now and again
CTL ALT DEL
Click a pic
From a speeding taxi
Crossing Jakarta
Months later
While editing
Curiosity piqued
Google “KETOPRAK”
Now I wish we’d stopped
And tried one
A journey
Once begun
Never ends
Overlapping
Those that follow
With belated discovery
But no regrets
For just another
Missed opportunity
Pix to Words 