It has been years since I set foot in the ancient temple sphere
Awestruck by the soaring stupas that followed my everywhere
From sunrise till sunset, on our e-bikes, we went with the flow
Only one travel mantra this time and that was, to keep it slow
Golden Shwezigon, lofty Thatbyinnyu, and the lucky Htilominlo
The white Shwesandaw with its five terraces, many more to go
The unfinished Dhammayangyi and the flawless Ananda temple
One by a tyrant, another a saint, both hoped to set an example
Some set carefully in stones and bricks, some in wood and gold
But each has its own story of grandeur and spirituality to be told
During the day, we lived on peanut brittles and local jaggery fare
While we shopped for souvenirs like paintings and lacquerware
Then sat at the gourd-shaped Bupaya Pagoda to view the sunset
Near the ageless Ayeyarwady river, that blesses all within its net
Few hot air balloons glided at a distance, 2,000 feet up in the air
Giving the riders, sweeping views of the Pagan kingdom in prior
Coconut rice, lentil soup, spring rolls, and local curries for dinner
At ‘The Moon Vegetarian Restaurant’ were hands down a winner
To be there was a dream lived in every nous of being a wanderer
Yet I seem to have seen a lot more than what I could remember
The lanes are getting mislaid in the bleary alleys of my memories
The conversations too, are getting muffled, adding to my worries
A bagful of souvenirs and a phone full of photos are not capable
Alas! To keep alive forever the experience that was unforgettable
No comments:
Post a Comment