The sea sounds— relentless rush of rain, full on a clear night. Sewn into the sable sky, high stars glint in their patterns. The moon hangs, suspended, a dark sphere in a bright cradle, a golden hammock slung on a void. Out of the sea a hundred white wings of […]
Book Review: Spirit Worlds, by Philip Coggan
I saw my first lion dance when I was maybe six years old. I heard the drumbeat and the gongs first and ran out to the street. It was hot and sunny, and the coconut trees threw deep frond-shaped shadows on the red dirt. I could see the man with […]
Adventures in Cambodia: Van Transport
I stood outside my one-room apartment. It was nearly 4 AM. I had padlocked my front door and gone outside the gate with my one suitcase and a plastic basket for my cat. Said cat was on my shoulder, because I had already discovered that he hated the basket and […]
Angkor Trio
Jungle Seeded stone split, bred shoots, roots—life strangled secrets for a thousand years. Monkey Five-fingered feet lope, thief gibbering at lost gods. Beast with human eyes. Stream Stone bed monsoon-filled, liquid glass running over carvings magnified. The Khmer (Cambodian) Empire once ruled over much of Southeast Asia, and its kings […]
Eager Eyes Tugging at My Heart
I move carefully down the stairs, trying to put my feet where the metal frame offers the most support under each cracked, tin-covered step. The three classrooms above are empty now. The recess bell has rung, and all the students at the little English school above the church are out […]