Author Archives: wongswyn

yap

Posted on by
Reply 
he was a awfully small dog
with an awfully large voice
we were already riding 
President Salazar's train
from Porto to Vesuvius
within earshot of
an Australian entrepreneur
so we hardly noticed
A small, scruffy terrier mix dog with its mouth open in mid-bark, paws on the window sill, looking out of a moving train. The window frames a lush, green valley in Portugal, with a river winding through rolling hills, capturing the dog's enthusiastic reaction to the scenery.

 

potocari rain

Posted on by
Reply 

A's eyes seemed filled with tears
    that do not fall
at Dutchbat he escaped the chaffing
    by bare weeks
13 is an unlucky number here too
when the March for Peace is mentioned
    they light up for a moment
the other time this happens
    I think I had asked a stupid question
and then they twinkled 
    part pity part indulgence
i’m sure it’s not because he’d seen
    anything new under the sun
A stylized, high-contrast, vertical photograph of the dark, pitted wall of the battery factory at Potocari, which bears the scars of the Srebrenica Massacre. The image serves as a powerful backdrop for a poem that tells the story of a survivor, a poignant detail that adds a layer of personal history to the post.

                                       @the battery factory, srebrenica-potocari memorial centre

belgrade squares

Image

1

2018 06 17 09 50 22

Sarajevo Roses

Posted on by
Reply 
outside the tunnel museum
there are a few more than a pair 
i wonder if grandma kolar tends them still
as she did the souls through that conduit
with water and thorny resolve
A close-up photograph of a single, vibrant red rose in full bloom, surrounded by green leaves. The image's natural beauty stands in stark contrast to the historical tragedy and somber setting of the post.

A photograph of a circular mural of red paint splatters, forming a rose-like shape on a gray concrete ground outside the Sarajevo Tunnel Museum. The red of the 'rose' is a poignant symbol, reflecting the historical pain and hope of escapees during the Siege of Sarajevo.

Tide Pool #3: Yellow Menace?

Image

Reply
A top-down, close-up photograph of a bright yellow marine growth, with frond-like formations, in a low tide pool on the Mornington Peninsula, Australia. The organism's alien-like appearance is highlighted in the post's title, 'Yellow Menace?', which humorously explores the theme of xenophobia and prejudice.

Tide Pool #2: Life on Mars?

Image

Reply
A top-down, macro photograph of a rocky tide pool on the Mornington Peninsula, Australia, focusing on a weathered, iron-rich sandstone rock with a rugged, reddish-brown surface. The image's color and texture, which evoke the landscape of Mars, directly reflect the post's title, 'Life on Mars?', continuing the theme of alien-like discoveries on the coastline.

Tide Pool #1

Posted on by
Reply 
while watching for weedy sea dragons
where reefy sea grass ought to flow
instead this one peeks
in proof of alien life?
A macro photograph of algae fronds almost like a living crab-like organism, resting on a wet, rocky surface in a tide pool on the Mornington Peninsula, Australia

Botswana Beauties: Light Fantastic

Posted on by
2 
black-winged stilts i’ve read 
are known to be
collaborative home-makers
and gregarious waders 
at the borehole we see them
daddy and mummy long legs
skipping skating skitters 
tilted silted trippers
A high-contrast photograph of silhouetted black-winged stilts in flight and wading through light-speckled water in Botswana.

Botswana Beauties: Dynamic Duos

Posted on by
1
A vertical photograph of two vervet monkeys, one climbing on top of the other, on a tree trunk.

A close-up photograph of two Red-billed Hornbills perched side-by-side on a bare tree branch against a pale blue sky.

A striking, silhouetted photograph of two Yellow-billed Hornbills perched side-by-side on a dead tree branch against a dusky, cloudy sky. T

A photograph of two Wattled Cranes, a large, elegant bird species native to the wetlands of Botswana. The two cranes are walking side-by-side in a vast, open field of dry grass,

Botswana Beauties: Baby

Posted on by
Reply 
too young yet to savage his own feed
before puberty promotes him to 
that other list of african fives
with the vulture the warthog 
the gnu and the marabou
perhaps it's not a face
that only a mother would love
A photograph of a young hyena pup partially obscured by tall, dry grass in Botswana. The pup is looking directly at the camera with a cautious yet curious expression. The image challenges the common perception of hyenas as ugly, visually representing the post's title, 'Botswana Beauties: Baby'.