Kintamani haiku & tanka by Annaxue Yang

In July 2011, I led 14 participants on writers retreat at Kintamani/Lake Batur, Bali. Over 6 days we followed the compass of Balinese cosmology around the lake and caldera of its magnificent volcano, Gunung Batur.

I'm delighted to present some poems from the haiku diary of one of the 14 - Annaxue Yang, with photos by yours truly.

 

fish farms

bathed in a silver sheen

day passes into night

clouds drift in -

the mountain

draws down its night veil

a band of sunshine

through molten black

the Gods have spilled their anger

gamelan music

resting on my ears

sweet warmth of a new day

temple flower

a colour for eight directions

mandala for all seasons

two flowers

heavy in my hand

fragrance light on the breeze

reflections around the pool

I sit writing memoirs

monitored in stone

stone carvings

wear orange sarongs

royal reminders

old roads new roads

sacred to God

a temple bell

resounds in the poet

 

a path

leads through the garden

of ginger and lemon blossom

coffee beans

ground to powder

delicious on the tongue

a frog

sends morse code

beside the paddy field

not yet light

a cock crows

through the mist

roosters herald the day

as pace gathers in the street

motor-bikes humming

pigeons coo to each other

a kite rocks and whirs

to and fro on the wind

a bok-bok-bok –birdsong

stuck in the soundtrack

left-over from last nights’ kecak dance

a frog singing below grass level

a straw broom swishes above
this village morning

 

Annaxue Yang

                    Yours truly reading Peter B's story to Backstage Bali writers

                                             

Kintamani, Bali July  2011
All poems (c) Annaxue Yang
Images (c) Jan Cornall except for last image (c) Glenda Yiu