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.

[Andrainea Silverlite]

Another one going into my favorites! I love the almost restful, but playfulness of this piece. I can see the sunset in my mind's eye and I must say you paint a very pretty picture my friend! I also love the little reference to what a kelong is. I learned something new and I always enjoy that. Thanks for the request!

[Jūdan FyreHeart]

Again, you take your time to really capture each individual step as the sun sinks down onto the horizon. Nicely done

[Marie Harrison]

Beautiful! Sounds like fun too. Make room for me at the barbecue pit. I just love coconut palms. What a vision, you've created for me. Thank you.

[Desert Dreamer]

Beautiful image of a coastal sunset. Love the image of the sky being painted,
"The colours fill the open skies,
Like long streaks of paint
Added with the loving hand of a master. "
A reminder not to overlook the beauty to be found in nature. Thank you for sharing.

[Natalie]

Wow this is an amazing poem. Really love it. It's so detailed and I love that. It was like you took me into a world I've never saw. That's very important for writers. To take their readers by the hand and guide them to see what you see. Great work. BTW a lot of the bands you listen to are pretty sick.

[Jasmine]

The skies turn ever red,
Violently colouring the darkening skies,
As the sun begins its descent
Towards the western horizon.

beautiful words...you paint your canvas so well, it's easy for us to picture it. well done :)

[James Watts]

This was vivid. I could picture the scene as you painted it with your words. Nice work.

[Nianque]

The imagery was beautiful. The color were vivid. Beautiful poem.

[Haifa]

Really beautiful poem, I feel I am just watching the sunset right now through your poem. I loved it, well done.

[Drake]

I don't really know how to appreciate poems.
But this poem is able to make me visualize the setting in great detail.
A really soothing poem too.
Keep up the fantastic work!