To The Naga’s Protection

April 22, 2023April 23, 2023Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Life and love, Muse and Flow, Reflections, Things Kids Say, Writing Tags: 100WordChallenge, Difficult decisions, Family, Friday Fictioneers, grandparents, Gratitude, Loss, love, New Beginnings, Thailand 26 Comments

“The Naga will protect you, Laang Chaai.”

“Yes, Yaai,” the boy swallowed tears and nodded to his grandmother. Even at his tender age he knew that his Yaai’s love would not be enough. Her body bent over like a broken bamboo, the shape of rice-paddy work even with no paddy to bend over.

The wrinkled hand touched boy’s head, devastated to give up her laang chaai. His mother had died in childbirth, yet she never thought of her grandson as an orphan. Till today.

The monks will raise him now.

“Khawp khun khrap” the boy bowed, palms together over heart.

For Rochelle’s Friday Fictioneers

Photo prompt: © David Stewart

Glossary:

Naga – semi-divine dragon-serpents in Thai culture which possess supernatural powers and are the patrons of water

Laang Chaai – grandson

Yaai – grandmother

khawp khun khrap – thank you (when said by male)

Incoming

January 26, 2020January 26, 2020Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Life and love, Meditations, Muse and Flow, Photography, Reflections, Writing Tags: Flight, Gray, Haiku, JanuarySquares, light, Photo Challenge, Photography, Plane, Poetry, Sunday Stills, Thailand, travel, Water 13 Comments

Photo: Na’ama Yehuda

The light on blue-gray water

Waves a landing strip

To bless an incoming flight.

For Becky’s January Squares: Flight

For Terri’s Sunday Stills: Gray

Morning Calm

November 17, 2019Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Life and love, Meditations, Muse and Flow, Photography, Poetry, Reflections, Writing Tags: Beautiful, Calm, Ko Samui, Meditation, Morning, Peaceful, Photo Challenge, Photo prompt, Poetry, Sunday Stills, Thailand 10 Comments

Photo: Na’ama Yehuda

Soft ripples spread

Like ribbons of

Silk

As morning heads

Toward shimmering

Heat.

For Sunday Stills: Calm

Note: The photo was taken in Ko Samui, Thailand, on an August morning. It was sublime.

Temple Textures

October 22, 2019November 12, 2019Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Life and love, Muse and Flow, Photography, Poetry, Reflections, Writing Tags: Bangkok, CFFC, Micro Poetry, Photo Challenge, Photography, Poetry, Reclining Buddha, Temple, Textures, Thailand, travel, Wat Pho 4 Comments

Photo: Na’ama Yehuda

The gray marble

Supports

With leisured rich

Array

The carved squares

And the luxuriating

Pebbled

Head in

Golden display.

Note: The photo was taken at Wat Pho, The Temple of the Reclining Buddha, in Bangkok, Thailand. The pebbled bits represent a small part of the ‘hair’ of the massive Buddha statue. The textures and contrasts of the surfaces were what caught my eye and so the angle of the photo is deliberately ambiguous.

For Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Textures

Next in Line

October 6, 2019November 12, 2019Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Life and love, Muse and Flow, Photography, Poetry, Reflections, Writing Tags: airport, expectation, Hong Kong, Lined up, Photo Challenge, Photography, Poetry, Sunday Stills, Thailand, travel 12 Comments

Photo: Na’ama Yehuda

Framed by

Turquoise water,

Aligned by

Mountains

And turf.

Next in line

For takeoff,

Ere the last leg

To Thailand

And loved ones

And surf.

For the Sunday Stills Photo Challenge: Lines and squares

Marine Park Wonder

August 25, 2019November 12, 2019Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Life and love, Muse and Flow, Photography, Poetry, Reflections, Writing Tags: Ang Thong Marine Park, Family trip, Ko Samui, National Parks, Nature, Outdoors, Parks, Photo Challenge, Photography, Poetry, Sunday Stills, Thailand 20 Comments

Photo: Na’ama Yehuda

Layered cakes of history

Over turquoise water

Topped with jungle hats

And splurged with hidden wonders

Under every gentle splash

And kayak paddle pat.

Info and so on: Ang Thong National Marine Park is a fabulous archipelago of 42 islands in the Gulf of Thailand. It features amazing limestone mountains, jungles, sandy beaches, waterfalls, and hidden sacred lakes. About an hour fast-boat ride from Koh Samui, it is a protected area of about 100 square kilometers of land and sea and is home to an abundance of exotic wildlife and sea creatures (snorkeling is something you’d really wanna do!). Kayaking, diving, and hiking some of the rocky mountains make for a fabulous time. The Blue Lagoon (AKA Emerald Lake) is absolutely mandatory to climb to!) . Usually a day-trip boat charter from Koh Samui or one of the neighboring islands, there are also some rustic bungalows and tents available for overnight stay. Our family did the day trip from Koh Samui last summer, and it was fantastic!

For the Sunday Stills challenge: Parks

Locked

August 13, 2019November 12, 2019Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Current events, Life and love, Muse and Flow, Poetry, Reflections, Trauma and Development, Writing Tags: Adversity, Captive, Cruelty, Current affairs, fpj-photo-challenge, Lock, Photo Challenge, Poetry, Thailand, Trauma and Development, travel 32 Comments

Photo: Adi Rozen-Zvi

Life without

Possibility

Of parole.

Robbed of

Freedom.

Wingspan clipped

To the lock

At the end of

A chain

Of events.

Imprisoned

Without fault

But the adversity

And sorrow

Of its birth.

For the Tuesday Photo Challenge: Lock

Bamboo House

June 3, 2019November 12, 2019Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Life and love, Meditations, Muse and Flow, Photography, Poetry, Reflections, Writing Tags: Black and White, blessing, CB&W, Chiang Mai, Home, House, Photo Challenge, Photo prompt, Poetry, Thailand 5 Comments

Photo: Adi Rozen-Zvi

May there be a home

Inside this house,

Where the strength

And flexibility

Of bamboo

Is proffered,

As basis for the rapid

Steady growth

Love offers.

For Cee’s Black &White Challenge: House

Thailand Playground

May 19, 2019November 12, 2019Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Life and love, Muse and Flow, Photography, Poetry, Reflections, Writing Tags: Chiang Mai, Making do, Mountain village, Photo prompt, Photography, play, Playground, Poetry, Resourceful, Sunday Stills, Thailand, Weekly Photo Challenge 8 Comments

Photo: Adi Rozen-Zvi

It does not matter

Where you are:

Jungle, mountain

Old or new,

Plastic, wood

Or bamboo, too.

There is play here

To be had

If you wish to …

And you do.

For Terri’s Sunday Stills: Playground

Tropical Trio

May 7, 2019November 12, 2019Na'ama Yehuda Anecdotes of Life, Life and love, Muse and Flow, Photography, Poetry, Reflections, Writing Tags: A moment in time, Fog, Ko Samui, Micro Poetry, Mountains, Photo a Week, Photo Challenge, Poetry, Thailand, Three of a kind, Tropical 8 Comments

Ko Samui Tropical Trio 1; Photo: Naama Yehuda

Ko Samui Tropical Trio 2; Photo: Na’ama Yehuda

Ko Samui Tropical Trio 3; Photo: Na’ama Yehuda

As the storm rolled in

And rain took hold,

Mountains cowered

Under fog.

Note: The above photos were taken within minutes of each other last August in Thailand, as I took an afternoon walk on the beach and a fast-moving tropical storm sped in and essentially cloaked the mountains.

For Nancy Merrill’s Photo a Week Challenge: Three of a kind