"The sharp knife of a short life

I've had just enough time..."


- "If I Die Young" The Band Perry


I see Beauty in many things. And like the ghosts that only speak to you if you notice them, they tell me wondrous tales. With my camera and my thoughts, I captured these as faithfully as I can to share with you. And by doing so, they gave me the reasons. And though the thousand reasons may not all be sweet and some indeed bitter; they are still reasons to live. Come to think about it, that is Life, isn't it?

Saturday 24 August 2013

Waiting For The Dragon Boat


I've has just enough time to...   not wait for the dragon boat

Still waiting for the dragon boat to come to shore in the Jade Emperor Temple, Surabaya, Indonesia


I waited
For the Dragon Boat to come
And take me away
But I waited too long

Under the motionless cloud
And faded rainbow
The Dragon Boat never come to my shore
For I had waited too long…

And I can do nothing now
But wait some more
For I had invested too much of my youth
For it not to come true…

So I must wait a little longer
And can do nothing but wait
For the Dragon boat
To come to my shore


I  wandered into this old Jade Emperor Chinese temple in my visit to the China town of Surabaya, Indonesia. In the upstairs balcony, I discovered an old faded but beautiful relief wall painting in cheerful blue. In it under was a vast sea and a dragon boat coming to shore under a rainbow, cloud and the palace of heaven. A man was sitting forlornly on a long wooden bench in front of the faded scene. I don’t know but to me it was a very poignant scene of time losing its purpose.


To take me to the Valley of Peach Blossom


5 comments:


  1. ineedathis and davidseibold added this photo to their favorites.

    1000 Reasons
    I will be going to Surabaya, Indonesia end of the coming week. It is only for two working days so I don’t expect to be able to get any new shots but will try. It reminded me of my last trip there in 2010 so I dug up some old photos I’ve taken of the place to share with you. I stopped by in Surabaya in my trip to climb the famous Mount Bromo during that trip.

    Rajagiri
    Nice picture.. Have a great weekend dear friend

    Teresa Teixeira
    Cool picture and poem! :)
    Wish you a good trip to Surabaya! Maybe we can see some photos from there...

    ineedathis 56 minutes ago
    Such a great candid shot Thou!
    I hope you use your time well and enjoy your trip,
    have a wonderful weekend.

    oola *
    oooh the remark you have made under this photo... omg... it knocks me over... breathless
    and the photo was (I thought) enough just as it is... it is incredible also...
    the perfect "destination" (is it the peach blossom valley?)... a dream overlooking reality...
    oohhh Thou San... this one just blows me away

    oola *
    thinking about his life while he waits.... youtu.be/R96jRnBYymU this is an expressive song as only Nina Simone can deliver... life... while one waits....

    ReplyDelete

  2. RYA Photography
    Have a Good Trip!! :-)

    ineedathis
    Beautiful artwork my friend!

    oola *
    youtu.be/Yxz81DtK_9k could not resist posting this song... smiles..
    should have posted Lotte Lenya singing it... for she is the one who sang it in Weil's production...but she is singing in German only... but Ute throws some English in there... so you get her version, which is excellent... good luck in Surabaya... don't break any hearts there

    Patricia Speck
    Very artistic and beautifully done

    Onasill
    Beautifully create Thou and always a great follow up

    狂野的男人
    This is a beautiful dream.

    ReplyDelete

  3. bloodybee
    excellent composition

    Vicky Bella
    Very powerful photo and text.

    henrhyde (gill)
    Beautiful presentation with this image -- great words-- inspiring work

    Patricia Speck
    Excellent image and presentation. Love the poem that goes with it so well too.
    Your work is unique and very beautiful.

    Onasill 10 hours ago
    Exceptioal view. A marvel of an image...kudos

    狂野的男人
    Sometime in life, we can't wait , we have to make our own dragon boat .

    Geo_grafics
    He sure adds some mighty fine perspective !
    Sweet work ;)

    ReplyDelete

  4. ShambLady
    geweldig!

    AlexNegoda
    Very nice shot! Well done!

    Rebecca Ang
    Lovely and fitting text for this image. And the guy in the frame adds to the narrative in this shot. Beautifully captured and conveyed!

    BlueLunarRose
    A beautiful story-telling photo, love the composition, and beautiful words, it's like a visualization of his own dreams and imagination, wonderful work!!
    Have a lovely and safe trip!

    vignettes_IND
    Looks like a page out of a fable....wonderful!

    ana_lee_smith
    A most evocative presentation of words & image, thou. I'm interpreting the Dragon Boat as death for which the old man waits.
    And until I read your tag 'old man' I thought him a sculpture ...the man, bench, table, chair, props, all of it an art piece complimenting the beautiful mural. Unless you tell me otherwise I can't help but see it that way *~*
    Thanks for the amazing Nina Simone video!

    娜 娜☂Nana
    Very strong poem ... I love this mood ...so touching.
    我覺得就像親情、愛情一樣..愛要及時! 愛就要大聲說~
    See you soon...San : )

    Steve Taylor (Photography)
    Such a beautiful picture

    oola *
    wish I could fav this twice

    october blue
    Excellent candid photo .....poignant and evocative !

    ReplyDelete

  5. ShambLady
    lovely fairytale story - Mount Bromo at sunrise,,,, such good memories! I love Surabaya, the city is kind of special to me!

    ShambLady
    enjoy your trip!!!!!

    ana_lee_smith
    Love the legend. Enjoy your return visit to Surabaya.
    Only you observed the 2 wreaths, thou. It is my guess they represent 2 bodies in the tomb..... which was so aged & coated in algae if there ever was any inscriptions they are no longer visible.

    娜 娜☂Nana
    Gorgeous artwork and fantastic story......

    october blue
    Lovely artwork ...and a wonderful photo and narrative ! Places of happiness and contentment like the Peach Blossom Valley are very elusive to find ....but it is in man's nature to endlessly yearn and search for them . Well done .

    ReplyDelete

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