The Movement of Life

Steam rises from a dusty street

A microphone squawks

The call to prayer rising through the heat

Dawn breaks and the day begins.

A hazy sun fills the sky

Mosques echo

With a prayerful cry

Worship begins the day's rhythm.

Hawkers call out their wares

In the midst of blaring horns

Angkot drivers call out their fares

Scooters, buses and pedestrians jockey for space.

Sidewalks fill with sizzling food

A cacophony of angry horns, shouts and laughter

fuel the city's frenetic mood

The movement of life.

The energy peaks then wanes

with the approach of the setting sun.

To set aside the day's joys and pains

The call to prayer invites again.

Dusk brings a velvet cloak of heat

People laugh and joke

Rest and eat

The day is done.

The city is bathed in a moonlit glow

Stars scattered in the sky

The pace begins to slow

Streetlights guide people home.

The first hint of dawn lights the sky

The redness of the rising sun

The call to prayer fills the air with a rising cry

The movement of life begins again.