#11: Space Race Revised
X-X Bethlehem, then Jerusalem, He'll lay,
slides from angel wings through hourglass timeless
inquiry, that constant without delay
spatial values in place of life ... priceless?
Space is priceless and we welcome it here,
--present company excluded, that is.
Cultural war displaces; others--where?
Mayans, Angkor Wat, Easter's Rapa Nui's.
We measure our worth for what we can take,
the price for this act is life, yours or theirs.
'Take' enjoy the backseat as cruise control, make
it with the jingle turn to wrinkle--cheers!
Space worth is the price for commodities,
let's naught add to Space's new oddities.
Categories:
angkor, conflict, dark, faith, hope,
Form: Crown of Sonnets
Angkor Wat
infamous temple complex in Cambodia
largest religious structure known on earth
spreads two hundred and forty-eight square miles
there are seventy-two temples inside this complex
This Hindu temple was dedicated to their god Vishu
designed to represent Mt Meru, home of the devas in mythology
King Jayavarman VII changed the temple to Buddism
after Vishu had failed him
Some believe Angkor Wat was constructed in one night
by our divine architect
Categories:
angkor, travel,
Form: Free verse
What genius can thus inspire,
the mind will never know
It takes more than a thought conceived,
to go where visions go
Angkor Wat or Taj Mahal,
we only stand in awe
And wish to go from whence they came
—the artists Shangri La
(Dreamsleep: December, 2020)
Categories:
angkor, art,
Form: Rhyme
I’ve watched the sun rise in Angkor Wat
The beauty in Santorini will not be forgot
Mount Bromo was a sight worthy to behold
Cape Town did shine so bright and so bold
I witnessed the sun as it set on the Grand Canyon walls
The moonlight dancing on the Sutherland Falls
I’ve cried at the feet of the Redeemer so grand
I’ve seen so much beauty in many a land
Nothing compares to what I’ve seen with my heart
A sight so amazing it just tore me apart
It all pales in comparison so right and so true
The beauty that I see every time I’m holding you
*comments are welcome and appreciated*
Categories:
angkor, beautiful, beauty, true love,
Form: Free verse
List one: climb up to Machu Picchu,
ride the Orient Express,
see the Terracotta Warriors,
find a monster in Loch Ness,
brave the winds of Patagonia,
hike along an Everest ridge,
visit Paul Gaugin’s Tahiti,
stand on Sydney Harbour Bridge,
stroll round Angkor Wat, Cambodia,
cross the Alps in a balloon,
gaze in awe at Easter Island,
catch a rocket to the moon.
List two: sit in the garden scribbling,
eat a wedge of Stilton cheese,
drink a glass of Chilean Merlot,
watch the sunset through the trees,
play the bass just one more time
in the pub with my rock band,
look both ways then cross the street
holding my granddaughter’s hand,
see my grandson run towards me
smiling, waving, full of life,
meet my son and talk and listen,
phone my daughter, kiss my wife.
Yes. Two lists. There is a reason.
Once I heard a wise man say
Dream as if you’ll live forever;
live as if you’ll die today.
Categories:
angkor, dream, feelings, philosophy,
Form: Rhyme
sari of morn floats
draping temples with orchids,
as Angkor Wat blows its mist
to flame coned incense;
and in the still of homage
pilgrims wander with their gods.
Angkor Wat, Cambodia
-----------------
May 2018 Standard Contest of Brian Strand
Categories:
angkor, blessing, places,
Form: Choka
Angkor temples
reveal old paths
of god borne ‘raths’
came from lands far
gods, goddesses
guard the altar
keep demons far
people at peace
'raths'- chariots in Hindi language
Mohan Chutani
Contest: Ride on a Pathya Va
Theme of Chariots of gods from far (India)
Date:7.8.2014
Categories:
angkor, peace, religious,
Form: Verse
Not coldly proud, in Saint Paul's cathedral,
Nor silently strong in the Great Mosque of Mecca
Nor sorrow-filled at the Wailing Wall
Nor winding with the vines through Angkor Wat
Nor beneath the Shinto Gate of the Sun,
Or purselipped in stone on Easter Isle
Or heavy with years in Stonehenge Circle
- In none of these places is the True Temple found,
They are but the little prayer-rooms within it.
- There: in the atoms born of stars that shaped us.
- There: in the sound of the laughing child.
- There: in the scent of the rose.
- There: in the last exhalation.
We can never go to visit the One Great Temple,
Because we bring it with us to all the others.
It is smaller than the atoms.
It is bigger than the Universe.
Its doors are never closed.
We have never been outside of it.
Consult your mirror: it shows the truth of this.
And when the thunder speaks, it calls to you, saying:
TAT TVAM ASI - THAT ART THOU
Divinity is boundless; all things partake of it.
Nothing matters.
Everything matters.
Categories:
angkor, easter, inspirational, philosophy, universe,
Form: Free verse