Javanese New Year in Yogyakarta
simplicity celebrated
in the absence of sounds
feast of void
no fireworks launched
no flashing lights
just this slow breath
then the big wash
soul purging trickle
under a moon's new sky
downtown a crowd
circulating in silence
attending earth's benediction
dawn of a new twelvemonth
life one less year to live
life only as long as this glass is to drink
joy of a new year
not in the banquet for the flesh
but in the calm of the soul
but in the calm of the soul
nice villanelle Chrysogonus. That works fine without explanation of local customs, the title is sufficient. Interesting that it's quiet not the rowdy drunken event we have in Australia!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Anna :)
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