by MARILYN HUMBERT

Strangers in strangeland

a tanka sequence

we wander
the cracked surface
of narrow byways
scooters push past
horns beeping

strings of tiny bells
decorate hawker stalls
in Little India
we fall under the alchemy
of exotic scents and sounds

tropical rain
catches us unaware
wet and dripping
beneath a striped awning
sheltering with the locals

under the eyes
of temple dragons
a scruffy squirrel
skitters among shadows
the incense, the silence

• Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia