Sunset

The title says it all, really...

Sunset

The wind howls softly, in the coming twilight, 

As it caresses the leaves of the coconut palms

That dot the coastline and the beach, 

As I watch from afar. 

The skies turn ever red, 

Violently colouring the darkening skies, 

As the sun begins its descent

Towards the western horizon. 

Red, orange, gold, aspen, 

The colours fill the open skies, 

Like long streaks of paint

Added with the loving hand of a master. 

The skies start to turn lighter blue now, 

As the coming night sets in. 

More lights fill the skies now, 

The lamps that illuminate the park, 

As well as the lights

Coming from the nearby shipyards and docks.

The vibrant hues still fill the air, 

Now darkening at the sides, 

From red to a deep, dark blue,

A perfect background

For the couples that watch this sight

As they hold each other tenderly,

For the friends that watch this

As they set up their barbeque pits,

For the families that watch this and marvel, 

As they set up their tents for the night,

For the islands in the distance, 

As the fading light shrouds them in mystery and intrigue, 

And for the kelongs nearby, 

As the sea laps against their wooden stilts,

And the light illuminates the far side 

Of their rooftops. 

It's getting late now. 

I should get home.

And as I walk back, 

The colours seem to recede with me,

Eventually dwindling to a deep violet, 

A perfect frame for the entire magnificent spectacle

Yet so overlooked by everyone else. 

Author's Note

A kelong (pronounced kay-long) is a wooden house on stilts located in the middle of rivers or a short distance away from the coast, found throughout Southeast Asia. A kelong is normally not found on its own, as several are often clustered together.

Reviews

[Dinesh Sairam]

Such a descriptive and captivate poem. The imagery unfolds in a slow fashion before the readers' eyes. So beautiful. One thing - I felt you shouldn't have used

"It's getting late now.
I should get home."

It'd been better if you'd ended it in a dreamy haze.

[HorrorMaster]

Really good poem

[Huggy Bear]

fantastic piece:)

[Bandgeek]

i like it and thanks for definig the word kelong

[Bethany]

I thoroughly enjoyed this, my whole body relaxed as I entered the world you painted for us all.

[Linear]

You paint a beautiful landscape, any artist would be proud of, with colour and lapping waters, reflections of neon lights mirrored in ocean waves, well done

[sarah]

This is an amazing poem! great work

[HopelesslyDevoted]

sunsets are mostly always beautiful, but you added so much to the effect with your wonderful writing! this poem will be in my mind the next time i see a sunset. excellent job!

[OT]

very nice!! profound imagery, strong pull - caught me early on and kept me interested throughout - nice work!!

[*skittlez*]

i really like this hope you keep writing ones like this i like sunsets to by the way i really hope you keep writing

[PrincessZeldaWannabe]

I love the sunset too and when I think about it, I embrace it's beauty. Great job on capturing it!