ON THE BANKS OF THE MURRAY

“At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet.” - Plato 

This week, Poets and Storytellers United has as its theme “A Perfect Afternoon”. I am taking poetic licence here and saying that my perfect afternoon needs to extend into a perfect evening, and an even more perfect night. So humour me, please!

On the Banks of the Murray

Ohhhhh!
Such beauty,
All quiet,
On a still summer night…

On the banks of the Murray,
On a summer’s hot night.
There’s no need to hurry,
All the stars shine so bright.

On the banks of the river,
With you on my side,
And the moon solid silver,
All our secrets confide.

“I love you so”, I say
“I love you more”, you reply.
We look at the sky and we sigh,
And kind fate we obey.
Our lips no kiss will deny,
As our hearts upward fly.

On the banks of the Murray,
As the heavens rotate,
And the small hours scurry,
A gold morn’ we await.

On the banks of the river,
In a tender embrace,
We both warily shiver,
Lest the gods deny us grace.

“I love you so”, I say
“I love you more”, you reply.
We look at the sky and we sigh,
And kind fate we obey.

Ohhhh!
“I love you so”, I say
“I love you more”, you reply…

Here’s the poem set to music and you can find all my music in my “Otidorchestre” channel or listen to it on YouTube, Spotify,  Amazon, Deezer, Flo, Pandora, and other music sharing sites.

PS: Some of you have said that the song does not appear at the link site. Type: "Otidorchestre" and do a search. Sometimes there is a slight delay from my posting it to its publication at the music sharing sites. Generally YouTube is the most efficient.

A PRAYER FOR PEACE

“There was never a good war or a bad peace.” - Benjamin Franklin

The New What’s Going On blog is prompting about “Yearning for Peace” this week. With all the wars and hostilities currently raging around the world it feels like we’re on the verge of the outbreak of WWIII. It seems that humanity is blind to the mistakes of the past and is ready to repeat them. If only we all were more active in seeking the peace we long for…

Peace

All round the world the long wars rage

As petty despots their egos inflate;

In bloody battles nations engage

Their hunger for gold they can't sate.

Insane dictators vie for power

Poor soldiers die by the score,

The warfare grows, enemies glower

A situation sane people all abhor…

The prayers for peace and calm won’t stop

A war that crazy men have started.

God will not render benefaction,

Unless people will take action:

Refuse to fight, and don’t be blinded

By lies, false promises of aspirants,

Perverted dreams of raving tyrants.

The helpless cries of all the blameless:

Children, old people, women, nameless,

Cannot be heard as prayers for peace,

Nor can their misery decrease.

Dethrone the cruel kings of crime,

Cast out heartless oppressors.

The clocks strike now the time

To rid ourselves of the aggressors.

The prayers for peace and calm won’t stop

A war that crazy men have started.

God will not render benefaction,

Unless the people will take action:

Refuse to fight, and don’t be blinded

By lies, false promises of aspirants,

Perverted dreams of raving tyrants.

Here’s the poem set to music and you can find all my music in my “Otidorchestre” channel or listen to it on YouTube, Spotify,  Amazon, Deezer, Flo, Pandora, and other music sharing sites.

TRAVEL TUESDAY 503 - MT AGUNG, BALI, INDONESIA

“If your heart is a volcano, how shall you expect flowers to bloom?” -  Khalil Gibran

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.

There is only one simple rule: Link your own creative work about some aspect of travel and share it with the rest of us. Please use this meme for your creative endeavours only.

Do not use this meme to advertise your products or services as any links or comments by advertisers will be removed immediately.

Mount Agung (Balinese: ᬕᬸᬦᬸᬂ​ᬅᬕᬸᬂ, romanized: gunung āgung, Indonesian: Gunung Agung) is an active volcano in Karangasem Regency, Bali, Indonesia. It is located southeast of Mount Batur volcano, also in Bali. It is the highest point on Bali, and dominates the surrounding area, influencing the climate, especially rainfall patterns. From a distance, the mountain appears to be perfectly conical. From the peak of the mountain, it is possible to see the peak of Mount Rinjani on the nearby island of Lombok, to the east, although both mountains are frequently covered in clouds. Agung is a stratovolcano, with a large and deep crater. Its most recent eruptions occurred from 2017–2019.

Balinese people believe that Mt Agung is a replica of Mt Meru, the central axis of the universe. The most important temple on Bali, Pura Besakih, is high on the slopes of Gunung Agung. Pura Besakih is a complex made up of 23 temples that sit on parallel ridges. It has stepped terraces and flights of stairs that ascend to several courtyards and brick gateways that lead up to the main spire or Meru structure, which is called Pura Penataran Agung. All this is aligned along a single axis and designed to lead the spiritual person upward and closer to the mountain which is considered sacred.

Each year, there are at least 70 festivals held at the complex since almost every shrine celebrates a yearly anniversary. This cycle is based on the 210-day Balinese Pawukon calendar year.

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