Resplendent

[heinel]

Because there were so many tourists then in Pura Tanah Lot,
Appreciating the Temple in the Sea was nigh impossible.

I thought so as I set foot in the parking lot.
Treading across the soft mud, my concerns were confirmed.

So close to nature, the tour could have been my creative lot.
Yet, I could not see anything here worthy of my signature:

Catching the salty sea wind was probably harder than winning the lot.
There was plenty of spicy food though, I smelled that on the way.

Everyone was excited about it all – they were a cheerful lot.
I cannot see how I could share their enthusiasm, though.

Noisy chat and banter, there definitely were a lot.
The sound of the waves cannot be heard at all.

I thought I should pay the sea God my humble lot.
But when I saw that line up for the ritual? Never mind.

So it makes you wonder why did I stay there.
With patience I found a new page in my album:

By dusk, the foreground has become nothing but a shadow;
The outline of trees and spires against the orange sun.


Afterthoughts...


Summer, 2008