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Saturday, July 23, 2011

Flocking Together

I have often lamented my lack of luck where photographing birds are concerned. The only  opportunity I could boast of was the Siberian Seagulls at Green Lake where there were thousands of these seagulls in flight. It would have been impossible not to have captured these birds in flight...they were everywhere!


Going through some holiday photographs recently, I realised that I did have quite a few reasonably good captures of birds...especially of the species that cannot fly or do not fly! Just from my New Zealand holiday itself,  there were these birds I should proudly catalogue under "The ones which did not get away" in my collection entitled "Feathery Friends".  Of course, there are no other categories apart form "The ones which did not get away".


For Poery Potluck on the theme "Nature and Life" :


flocking together
birds of different feathers
nature's pulse of life


These could swim away from me, but I caught them before they dove into the water.


These were enjoying their morning paddle in the pond too much to mind my nosy camera.


This one loved the camera...so it came towards me.


This family is lovely, they allowed me to take this photograph even though Papa Duck wasn't around for a full family portrait. I wonder how Papa Duck looks like.

This is my favourite bird...the one that is in the centre of the town...the pukeko that could not run away from me.






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Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Painting Whispers







The concentric ripples glitter, 
the glint of sunlight upon the water sparkle!
The sound of splashing in the pond
the swishing of tails, the shimmering of scales
the graceful twirl...everything else pales
in comparison and transports us to another world.


What matters if  the magic of art appears
not on a painting but in the mysterious whispers
of  golden, speckled and spotted creatures
beauteous of form and splendid of spirit 
that bespeak the perfection of Nature's
gift to the blank canvas of life?


Brightening  our lives with a different splash
 - of colours and loveliness and delight
creating altogether a different glint
- of amazement in the eyes, so bright,
of children at the wonderment of what they deem
as magical, fantastical and enchanting
holding them captive in the allure 
of a kingdom totally absorbing.
Here's to Nature which begets Art 
which in turn precipitates 
an appreciation of Beauty!  








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Thursday, July 14, 2011

INFATUATION






For Haiku Height's prompt #51

suggested by Rosie of Travel-inspired Tales 







the sea cradles sky


soft embrace on horizon


 infatuation abiding












One of the many sky-meets-sea scenery I fell in love with in New Zealand.



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Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Child of the Tonle Sap





The sun beats down on his bare sunburnt neck
he scratches the scab on his arm
he balances in the battered basin -  his toy, his joy, 
his personal ride and pride
The lake is shallow this time of year
if he takes a spill he'll swim
woe if he tips over in the monsoon tide
for the swollen belly of the  lake
could easily swallow a boy of six
this boy in the basin-boat



He waits  for the next tourist boat 
 to bring some hope of change
change for his pocket with a hole
change on his father's face when he ceases to frown
when he sees what his son, barely five,
can net in from tourists that day.

His mother and sibling ride with him
in his father's old fishing boat
there's no fish to be caught these draught-laden months
so a-begging they will have to go;
a desperate mother in dire straights, a baffled baby
and the brave little boy with his slithery snake


"A tip, a tip," their song they sing
"One doh-lar for skool." they chorus
one  doh-lar for the snake-boy, the basin boy,
the child of the Tonle Sap.

    

This post and poem is an entry for Thursdays Poets’ Rally Week 48

Note: I received an award for this poem! That is a lovely surprise, and I wish to thank the administrators of Thursday Poets' Rally for this unexpected honour of the Perfect Poet Award.Wow!

Click on Fresh Poets to Explore to link to Promising Poets' Cafe.
     
     Incidental poet that I am
Accidental writer, insecure 
Inexperienced, far from sure
of how to woo the words
Out of the closed doors 
of my heart
Incidental poet that I am
Declaring, Here I am!

I nominate dreamingthruthetwilight for her poem "The forgotten tune"






The Melaka River: Busy, Bustling Boardwalk





Here's another face of the Melaka River that gives this Heritage Site a living, throbbing pulse! All along the boardwalk, there are quaint cafes that add to the atmosphere of Old Melaka.


The houses on both sides of the river are long and narrow.Some had been built as far back as the Dutch colonial time.Others are relatively modern buildings.There are private residences as well as shop houses. The backs of the buildings face the river. With the recent beautification project of the Melaka River, the river is clean and the river banks turned into a landscaped, paved pedestrian boardwalk. Many owners of the the houses there have converted their backyard into interesting cafes with names like Reggae On The River and Riverine (the two cafes in the photographs below).









One cafe that I discovered recently is Dutch Harbour Cafe. Run by amiable owner Izam, this cafe has a friendly ambience which makes one want to stop by again and again. You could sit in the dining area in the cafe, but Izam will direct you to the al fresco river-view dining area. It is delightful here, a little bit like being in Europe. Customers are heard to ask Izam if he speaks Dutch! You can watch the river cruise boats passing by, and usually the passengers are in a cheery mood and would wave to you! 












That's the man himself, Izam, eager to please and providing the best of Melakan hospitality.



This is my haiku for Jenn's Sensational Haiku Wednesday on the theme "Wishes" This haiku is also dedicated to all dreamers who have a wish to make...may all your wishes come true!

Wishes from hearts rise
into the heavens and fall
showers of blessings






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Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Melaka River Tales-Old and New Face-to-face




The Water- wheel of Life

Ancient hub of our ancestors
Still thriving, the Melaka river
Playgound of naked brown children 
and the bulging-eyed slimy mudskipper 

Watery reflection of our heritage
The old Melaka of yore
Face to face with the contemporary
spanking new buildings never anticipated before

Echoes of  ghostly cannons from Portuguese galleons
on the Eastern bank of the estuary
Sounds of merriment on the hotel patio
Clinking of glasses sparkling with sherry

So the past meets the present
Intermingling of cultures and songs
In a place unique with our story, where we, 
my siblings, cousins and friends belong.













DSC02261.jpg








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