"angkor" poems
Led down from the tower
Head high and hands bound
Blindfold declined against the wall
Black square pinned to his heart
Eyes afire and shining proud
He sang...
He sang of Caruso, Townes Van Zandt
Pavarotti, Bocelli, Mercury,
Carreras, he sang of Antoine,
Of Sinatra, Lennon, Morrison, Redding
He sang and songbirds paused in flight
He sang like them all
He sang a song of himself
Of leaves of grass, of second comings
Of Byron, and Bharti, and Cummings
He sang of Neruda, and Plath, Tagore
Dickinson, Kamala Das and Naidu
Oh, he sang of them all
He sang of art and beauty
Of Mona Lisa and starry nights
Girls in green dresses and pearls
He sang of Van Gogh, of Picasso
Of Rembrandt, da Vinci
He sang of Michelangelo
He sang of sadness, pain
He sang of My Lai, Sand Creek
Of Guernica and Krystallnacht
He cried and sang of Wounded Knee
Of Katyn Forest, Sabra and Shatila
Oh, he wept as he sang
He sang of history and wonders
He sang of Olduvai and pyramids
Machu Picchu, Tikal, and Angkor Wat
He sang of a great wall, the Taj Mahal
Stonehenge, Easter Isle, Mesa Verde
His song took us to them all
He sang of courage
A song of Bunker Hill, Gettysburg
Of the Alamo, Normandy, Stalingrad
Of Lincoln, Guevara and Dr. King
He sang of Bolivar, Bhutto, Ghandi
He shamed us with their song
He sang his song...
As women sighed and peasants cried
He sang until the rifles fired, he died
Songbirds fell from the sky
Soldiers broke their guns on stones
And marched into the deep blue sea.
r ~ 4/12/14
Apr 12, 2014
Apr 12, 2014 at 7:05 PM UTC
WHAT IF TIME IS RUNNING OUT?
What if time is running out, there's so much I've yet to do
see the sunrise in the desert, watch it set from Kathmandu
Meditate in Angkor Wat, eat Sushi in Hong Kong
its been nearly 40 years now, you think she changed while I was gone
Scuba dive the Barrier Reef, go snowboarding and live
Make my peace with everyone, because there's nothing to forgive
Explore India like locals do, travel on top the train
armed with my black umbrella, just in case it starts to rain
Pay my parents back for everything, for all the love they shared
Find a way to tell them thank you, that does justice to how they cared
To show my son how much I love him, and how proud of him I am
and how that once scared little boy, has turned into a man.
Tell my sister she's the best there is, that I am proud of her
and ask for her forgiveness, that I was not the brother she deserved
So, what if time is running out, there's so much I haven't done
there's one more thing left on my list, to see if you're the one.
Aug 18, 2010
Aug 18, 2010 at 6:50 PM UTC
If I was a king of Asia I would give you all the gold there is
But I'm not even prince of Persia, all I have is love and dreams
Let me show you land of legends, land of honeymoon and rising sun
I am not as rich as Ali Baba, but I promise we'll be having fun
I'll take you to Bali the gem of Java Sea
Then we'll go on to safari a little south of Abu Dhabi
I'll take you to Maldives to swim in coral reefs
We'll enjoy the sweet papaya on the islands of Pattaya
I'll show you lake Baikal, Tibet and Taj Mahal
We'll see Macao, Yokohama, Hanoi, Jeddah, Jaipur, Jakarta
I'll take you to Dubai, Dushanbe and Mumbai
We'll spend some starry nights in yurts near the city of Yakutsk
I’ll take you to Tashkent where melons got their scent
We will taste all sorts of apples in the city of Almaty
I’ll take you to Beirut we'll go nuts on dried fruits
And the coffee with vanilla we can try it in Manilla
I'll take you to Kashgar to shop at old bazaar
Then we'll fly a magic carpet to the markets of Qatar
We'll see ruins of Karakorum the old capital of Moguls
Then we'll go to Kathmandu and then Karachi and Kabul
We'll discover caves with treasures, make three wishes all at once
All at once will turn to a fairy tale, like in one and thousand nights
Let me show you feast of colors, take you cross the dunes in caravans
Even if I don't look like Alladin, I sure know a thing about romance
I'll take you to Taipei to see its lovely bay
We will sip on Coca Cola on the silky sands of Goa
I'll take you to Shanghai where towers touch the sky
And the best of architecture we will see in precious Petra
We'll go to Ashgabat, Bishkek, Busan, Baghdad
We will see Great Wall of China and Cambodian Angkor Wat
We'll see the Everest, mount Fuji, Gobi Desert
And it's certainly my pleasure to take you all around Asia!
Apr 3, 2022
Apr 3, 2022 at 10:07 PM UTC
Michelangelo from marble made man,
Beyond Perfection.
An Ultimate image,
as Apollo's Earthrise on Luna,
or Showcase #4.
Germany has it's Beatles,
Just as Liverpool does too,
And I've seen pictures of a wall that stretches the length of China.
Pyramids rise out of the Deserts of Egypt,
The Jungles of the Aztecs,
and the Mountains of the Mayans.
A Colosseum still stands in Rome,
And every temple envy's the ones in Angkor Wot
For every age a legend.
For every actor a role.
For every writer a story,
and painter a painting,
and general a battle,
and architect a structure.
Wright and Wolfe and
Orwell and Wells and
Kafka and Kubrick and
Lenin and Lennon and McCartney
and MacArthur and Patton
and Plato and Dvořák.
There is a perfect apple pie in every mother's mind.
A perfect game in every pitcher's eye.
A work of art around every corner,
Stuck to refrigerators,
And tucked away underneath children sized beds.
Hanging in every high-school hallway,
Spray painted on every highway overpass.
A Planet-wide gallery
as simple as a finger-painting,
As grand as that canyon out in Arizona.
A world full of masterpieces...
But for me...
Only you...
Only you.
Jul 10, 2014
Jul 10, 2014 at 11:19 PM UTC
(of Angkor Wat)
Two years after, i still think of that
forest, where an old temple stands...
most structures are carved with intricate
designs and images...architecture was
influenced by their Khmer culture...
posts, frames and doors are stilled,
statues are tight-lipped, like frozen
witnesses...drowning in the voices
and noises of flocks of tourists,
reminding me of the noise and confusion
of my daily existence....in my own world..
i went up and down many stairs, went through
doors within doors, i lost count, while catching
my breath, wondered why there were just door
frames............silent walls, old posts, and old
trees gave a cold feel of a distant past......yet,
in my mind, an aura of magic and mystery
hovered upon the entire temple...as if ghosts
of wisdom, and lots of stories lay dormant,
imprisoned......within the structures...
two summers and monsoon seasons passed,
my thoughts on Angkor Wat, haunt me still,
and bring back my thoughts on those doors;
some doors on our paths are closed shut,
some are ajar...some open easily, but are
ignored, or feared...some, close too soon,
before we make our first step to enter...
some stay open, yet, we become complacent,
some, have no closures or finality...leaves
one in limbo....
how will we know if it's the last one for us?
how many doors more...for you? for me?
does death give an end to life's entrances?
........or, is it just a beginning?
Sally
© Rosalia Rosario A. Bayan
January 2017
Jun 14, 2019
Jun 14, 2019 at 9:59 AM UTC
(a temple complex)
The ruins seemed indomitable than ever,
the concrete walls looked like they'll survive
no matter what...
the tree trunks are gaining more layers
getting taller...wider...older,
aging doesn't seem to bother them
their spirits live on, and rule
generation after generation...
i believe, even the moat that surrounds,
and safeguards the temples,
has its own spirit as well...
my hands touched the concrete walls at Ta Prohm
all felt strong, and unconquerable,
and i thought of my own human walls
i have fought, i still fight...they must not crumble...
i struggle...so my walls wouldn't fall
when a huge steaming net of uncertainty
melts my confidence, and a strong fever enfolds me,
and possesses me...
i saw those monks, unburdened, seemingly bold
walking lightly, sweating, while their soft orange clothes,
moved with the gentle breeze that blew from the moat
cooling whoever, whatever was about to implode...
i thought, the blending of the heat and cold
could delay, or counter the breaking of any wall...
during that moment of scorching heat,
anybody could've given in...the wind was so cool
i almost jumped into the King's Pool
The vast moat surrounding the temples
kept beckoning...to anyone, to me, to play the fool...
Sally
Copyright January 29, 2017
Rosalia Rosario A. Bayan
Jan 28, 2017
Jan 28, 2017 at 8:01 PM UTC
She’s in Cambodia when she says,
“Company always matters,
but if it’s the wrong one,
I’d rather be on my own.”,
I’m in California when I say,
“I feel exactly the same way.”,
we’re on opposite sides of the world,
she’s at Angkor Wat just in from Dubai,
and I’m at home in Hollywood,
well not my home exactly just the place where I currently lie,
or rather the place where I lay,
because there are no lies here,
not between her and I,
because we’re,
two Stars shooting through the Infinite Sky,
and I want to fly to her right now,
I want to leave this city,
I want to be there,
with her at Angkor amongst all it’s ancient reliefs,
but alas,
we all have our lives,
different paths,
even when it’s led by the same guiding Light,
and I wonder if I’ll ever see her again,
at least I wonder if I’ll ever see her again in this life,
and I don’t know why I write,
I swear to God I don’t know even when I say I do,
because all I’ve ever gotten from these writings,
was all these cliches that I find in me and in you,
sounding like a cheesy pop song,
sounding like the voice of reason when everything’s gone wrong,
sounding like a lost Soul traveling the open road out here all alone,
leaving behind nothing but some faded memories and the words in these poems,
and when I hear her voice,
or rather read her text from my phone,
I get the feeling that as alone as I may be,
in that moment I am everything except for alone,
so when I get that call,
I know she feels exactly the same way,
and that’s exactly why,
I always listen when she explains,
she’s in Cambodia when she says,
“Company always matters,
but if it’s the wrong one,
I’d rather be on my own.”,
I’m in California when I say,
“I feel exactly the same way.”…
∆ Aaron LA Lux ∆
author of multiple best selling poetry books
Jul 31, 2017
Jul 31, 2017 at 10:34 PM UTC
Someday when you want to find me
Look for someone whose patron is inborn adversity.
I will be Angkor Wat whose foundation rots,
And the temple still stands.
Look in the oasis for an arrogant rider,
Whose horse strives to throw her off at every turn,
Yet she is still clinging on,
And thinks herself a rider of Dragons and scaly lizards.
In the reflections on the surface of her eyes,
I will be there right now,
And she will be a different human,
The kind of icon I always thought I would become.
Look for the specter of madness and fatigue,
There you will find my fully-fledged self.
When we look at babies
And tell them they will grow into beautiful young women
We don't even know what we're saying.
Jun 30, 2015
Jun 30, 2015 at 1:04 PM UTC
across the mountains and high seas
i want to travel as far as the moon can see
and still a little more to numb my thirst
as far above the sun as below the dusk
until the night howls and winter combusts
all around the spring singing of hurt
until the autumn grows loud enough to rust
until the day burns and stars submerge
wandering down the ways uphill a bliss
where mermaids drown and the gods sit
somewhere far where the flowers hiss
and all the pieces are where they fit
there where the clowns cry and live
from nowhere to across all the towns
carrying not an ounce of pain or a crown
in temples of Angkor with nothing to give
at the end of a rainbow and rain profound
the hollow windows and barren grounds
from rotten whispers and forgotten blitz
where demons prowl and angels ****
very depth of hell and under the ground
i'll travel as deep as a melancholic sound
under my skin crawling all the way down
the thunder and my sins all in a 'round
where the lights are dim and bound
with my plastic grin and elastic faith
down the road where none can be found
i'll wait there and sin with all my hate
so come for me before i go to waste
so come for me before it gets too late
so come for me before i close the gates
so come for me and come with a blade
so come for me before i fade,
so come for me before i name my price
so come for me before i wake,
so come for me before i take my life.
Apr 13, 2019
Apr 13, 2019 at 11:34 AM UTC
An insatiable wanderlust I wish to be,
Beyond the horizon I ought to see.
The land, the sea and many places,
To meet and greet those beautiful faces.
I wish to visit the spectacular Angkor Wat in Cambodia,
Or tripping on a bumpy Leh-Ladakh Road ride in India.
To swim among the tropical fishes in the Maldives,
Or sitting at the edge of the Kalaupapa Peninsular Cliffs
I wish to meditate at the peak of the Himalaya,
Or adore the fascinating Great Wall of China.
To romance at the Oia- Santorini in Greece,
Or party at the Belearic Islands till the day ceased.
I wish to watch the sunset illuminates the Pyramid of Giza,
Or a calm sunbathe in the magical islands of Bora Bora.
To get awed by the grandeur beauty of the Amazon,
Or simply a Gandola ride in Venice like a Vagabond.
I wish to sip the finest Bordeaux Wine in France,
Or get drown in the madness of “Tomorrow land”.
To visit the isolated Chile Easter Island,
Or brave the arduous climb to the top of Fuji mountain.
I wish to embark on a panoramic train ride to Machu Picchu,
Or immersed on remnants of the mythical history of Peru.
To witness the Aurora Borealis in Norway,
Or the divine old city of Jerusalem is a must visit someday.
I will travel through the land and the ocean,
Could be a random plan without a direction.
But I will travel far and I will travel near,
And I will keep my feet rolling every where.
Feb 28, 2019
Feb 28, 2019 at 11:54 AM UTC
The wind and wild hounds of hell
Howl in unison
Over a desolate landscape.
Only a handful of us
Remain
Survivors of a cataclysm
That almost wiped out
The whole human race.
Now grand lady nature is taking back
Everything she ever lost
Or was robbed of.
Ivy, vines and other creepers
Clamber over the crumbling concrete castles
That once were our homes.
Roads crack asunder:
Cleaving city ravines where subways
Have collapsed –
New rivers for new times.
Angkor Wat has nothing on this:
City after city
Lost in tangled jungle.
Animal pets run wild,
Mating with wolves and wildcats
And God knows what,
To add to their strength.
Where nuclear power plants exploded
Unattended by humankind,
All is winter desolation,
Yet even there Nature is fighting back,
Reclaiming her grounds
Inch by inch.
Take a closer look at all these lands:
Nature is now flourishing:
Free of pollution
Carbon emissions
And Global Warming
Caused by “Man”.
The world has lost its top predator
And destroyer.
Meerkats and monkeys are the brightest now
Or maybe dolphins.
Dogs and cats are quite smart too.
But all in all
The world is so much better:
A vernal Paradise
For all
Except Humanity.
Paul Butters
© PB 21\12\2020. For Norman Stevens.
Dec 21, 2020
Dec 21, 2020 at 8:52 AM UTC