The causeways rattle under
Sleepy feet waking
To the call to prayer at dawn;
Winds snake from
Below the sea as sharp bites
To a native reality
And the tide gently laps
To grace the burdened stilts.

The inland fowls stretch their necks:
Religion says a giant rooster
Has flapped its wings
And sends forth life
The day's message softly as a dew
May trickle down the broad leaf or
The sharp blade of the grass.

A terrain hides the grazing sun
And trees are thrifty with its light:
Sunlight is as anywhere seen in the world
But distinct,
The frame of mind that sees
Is as subtle as a twig and
Sturdy as the trunk.
It eyes as a child would
A stranger, friend or foe,
With hope and with awe.

- Isnani