Colors Chased Away

colors chased away
invaded by darkness
temporary blindness
before shades of grey

stillness all around
screams of silence
lost innocence
memories still not found

swimming in my bed
praying to drown
lose the crown
be one with the dead

a flicker of light
flooded by colors
fighting the shudders
a pause for the night

Viet Nam - Hue

Getting back to my journey through Viet Nam...

Reluctant to leave the tranquility of Sapa, I was nonetheless eager to continue my travels southward down the Viet Nam coast. My next destination was by bus 700km (438 miles) south of Hanoi, the old city known as Hue, the imperial capital of Viet Nam between 1802 and 1945 and the cradle of power for the Nguyen Dynasty.

I had been looking forward to being in Hue for a long time, not only because of its history, but also because of its architecture, it citadel and because it was home to one of my most favorite Vietnamese dishes, Bun Bo Hue (a beef and pork noodle soup).

I had picked probably one of the worst seasons to vist Viet Nam. It was the cold and wet months. But although my days in Hue was constant with rain, from drizzles to downpours, it felt perfect. It simply enhanced the romantic atmosphere and walking in the rain never felt so good as it did while walking along the banks of Song Huong (Huong River).

An Attempt To Remember What Was Lost

I had this sudden urge today to start painting again. It's been over thirteen years since the last time I touched a brush to a canvas. Been too terrified to start before. I've kept in the store unopened tubes of paint, unused canvases and virgin brushes for the last couple of years in the hope of making peace with this long lost friend. But what the hell do I paint? What is so meaningful that it merits me abandoning my fears?

For certain reasons today, I felt my life disrupted. I felt things were not the way my life should be. I guess perhaps this deviation ignited a chain of emotions which brought the need to paint back into my life. And so...what do I paint?

The first few base colors are down already. Let's see...maybe, just maybe...