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.

[Jon]

Very visual and colorful. Good job:D

[faryn wolff]

What a wonderful reflection of the beauty of sunsets. The imagery is soothing and lovely. I particularly like the expression of colours; it gives such an artistic feel. Superbly written.

[ScarlettTheDreamer]

Good. It kinda draws you into itself. The details worked great. The end added more goodness to the poem. Great work!

[Senseless whatever]

Good write. Great descriptions. You put the reader right there with you watching and marveling at the sunset.

[R E Tree]

I adore the beautiful colours being described. It gave me imagery of the weather and the beach. The first stanza impressed me as from the title I didn't expect it to be that beautiful and touching. After reading the first stanza I get completely drawn to the rest of the poem it was amazing. I likE how you welcome the reader into your life and into your head

[Zeitgeist Manifesto]

Nice poem. The images were in 3D as usual. You have a way of letting the reader explore your imagination. It is a pleasure to see you further developing your strengths as a writer. Good Work Man!

[S. Kimball]

There were some really good visual descriptions. I especially liked the line "Violently colouring the darkening skies". It seems like violence and the sunset are two things that don't go well together, but considering how vibrant and powerful the colors of a sunset are, I think it was a good choice of word.

The flow of the poem was a little jumpy, which I didn't care for, but it also didn't detract from anything for me.

I have one other minor criticism. The line "The skies start to turn lighter blue now" doesn't sound right to me. I think it's a given that things are progressing because you say they start to turn something, so it's unnecessary to add on the "now".

Other than those two little things, this was great. I'm not a huge poetry reader/writer but I think I recognize a good piece when I see it, and this was certainly one of them.

[zombiikillah666]

really good, and vivid.
great images ..hits
the senses. awesome write. (:

[Ruth]

Excellent use of words in this love, always a pleasure to read! xx