#American_Sky, Khmer Mountain
Ame~rican skies~ are so bright~ though cloudy,
And what~ a pity~ is to see~ Khmer mountains,
It's stark~ different~ to comment~ on mountains,
They look~ like coffins~ with corpses~ inside them.
These days~ we can say~ of defor~estation,
And like~ depletion~ of gold ores~ and the gem,
As if~ like being~ transfused by~ the venom,
And like~ the mayhem~ of the State~ and people.
O, lo~ and behold,~ the nation's~ resources !
Nature~ finishes~ its real shape~ like bubble,
That's why~ Henri Cam~ feels pity~ for people,
Who live~ like in Hell,~ apart from~ the Khmer Rouge.
Pity!~ Khmer mountains~ cannot win~ their life back,
Just cry~ and attack~ ruleless laws~ and abuse,
Or else~ all the mounts~ would be found~ of no use.
Coffins~ in stained hues~ do look like~ the deserts.
(This poem is written using the Khmer eleven-syllable foot style: 2 - 3 - 3 - 3 that reads beautifully with good rhythms and rhymes)
© rbu_spp June 23, 2014 Puthpong Sao
Photo: Books and Artwork by Chath Piersath.
COMMENTS
Puthpong Sao:
Thank Bryan Humphrey, Luke Young, Sopunna Sor and Jing Jing Sar for comments/likes. This poem was started yesterday when I saw American writer/artist Chath pierSath's works on Facebook. It's not been finished yet.m
John Christopher Brown:
It is wonderful Sao that you find your inspiration in so many different places. And we are lucky to see the fruits of that. :-)
Puthpong Sao:
Thank John Christopher Brown for your praise. I have a plan to use numerous Khmer styles -- more than 70 forms as I told the June 15 workshop -- to write English- and French-language poems. I already wrote some works. I think they sound beautifully though maybe strange to English- and French-speaking people. Some American and French connections of mine who are writers/poets on LinkedIn, Google said they were beautiful.
Luke Young:
It's a poem worthy of being read over and over. The imagery is so evocative and there is so much depth.
Chath pierSath:
wow! i love this one. can i share? we need to write more protest poems. our country is going to die. we need a different metaphor to speak of this suffering.
