GENEVA LAKE SUNSET
by Cheryl Daytec

Beauty takes our breath away without our knowing it.

Lac Leman is a very famous lake in Europe. Also known as Lake Geneva, it is Central Europe's second largest freshwater lake in terms of surface area. More than fifty percent of it is in Switzerland while the rest is in France. Much of it can be seen in the city of Geneva. So Geneva is a seat of splendor aside from being the location of many agencies of the United Nations for the protection of human rights.

On a cloudy autumn day when the sun was setting, I took the pictures here with my Nokia E70 cellphone. Together with a human rights lawyer from Bulgaria, I was taken to an elevated place in Geneva by Swiss human rights lawyer Raymond de Morawitz for a good view of the lake. We stood there long enough to be captivated and to learn that Mary Shelley was inspired to write the famous novel Frankenstein while standing on the shores of the spectacular lake.

Before I retired to bed that evening, I wrote a poem:

An Ode to Lake Geneve
There reign justice and compassion
In the core of your long mission
Evident from sharp reflections
Of the sun’s rays of emotion
Here is the refuge of right
Here prevails fairness with might
Houses of power stand on your soil
Anger and hatred they must foil
They fence out for the entire world
Kings and queens of oppressive mold
To treat people’s lives without care
To spatter blood, no crown should dare
The soft breeze and clear water
Hold the soul captive; it can’t wander
The boat that left is here again
A peaceful journey will begin
I wonder how Frankeinstein’s monster
Came from your beauty oh, so sober
Oh, Lac Le’man, you’re home to peace
Your glory dangles some promise
Did Rousseau stand before your grace
While writing what earned the world’s praise?
Near you death is unwelcome thought
To a troubled mind you give repose
Where you end, where you begin
A mystery reason can’t defend
The wind whispers your sweet refrain
One day, I will see you again.

I did not know that the lake extends up to the city of Montreaux and maybe beyond. I took a few pictures in Montreaux but I could not locate the disc where I stored them. I promise to do my best to find it. There is nothing beautiful in not sharing beauty.

ANOTHER MAGICAL SUNSET: BESAO SUNSET

The endless sky burns majestically in various parts of the world. And always with the same sun. Fires get us scared. But not when the fire is dancing in the sky, flirting with clouds.

Besao sun disappearing behind Tirad Pass, Ilocos Sur

Atty. Lynn "Lino" Macalingay, a US-based native of Besao, Mt. Province, visited this blog and he expressed his joy that we are interested in nature photography. He is himself a nature-lover and has a collection of pictures of nature in various forms which he himself took.


The Besao sun slowly fading in Ogawi.
Last year, he came home to bury his father. He had occasion to take pictures of the famed Besao Sunset. The pictures you see here are all his, taken from his ancestral home.

The Besao Sunset is a tourist attraction. From Besao, you can see the sun descending slowly until it disappears behind Tirad Pass. Then darkness creeps in, but you just stare at the sunset as if it is still there. The magical feeling of watching it simply go down stays with you and makes you forget that nighttime has stolen its beauty. But really, the beauty cannot be stolen. The memory stays with you for as long as you like. And it is free.

FIRE DESCENDING FROM THE SKY: SABANGAN SUNSET

My former student, friend and fellow nature-lover Arthur Odsey saw my Kayapa Sunrise pictures. He loved them. Then he showed me his pictures of Sabangan Sunset. Goodness gracious! I was so tongue-tied. Later, I asked him to give me copies.

Let the beauty of the sunset speak for itself. Let it speak to you.

What a sight. This can happen only once. The next sunset will take a different form.






It is as if the sky is burning.

FIRE REACHING UP TO THE SKY

Last summer, I traveled to Banaue, Ifugao to attend the seventh Igorot International Consultation sponsored by the Igorot Global Organization.

In Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya, the bus suffered a mechanical breakdown. It was early in the morning. Dawn was breaking and I could see beautiful fire reaching up to the sky.

I am glad I was able to capture that moment. It was a very compelling sight. As soon as I got to Banaue, I wrote a poem.

Kayapa Sunrise

You are The Great Kabunian’s handiwork
None but He can blend and match colors
And paint such consummate splendor
Using the infinite sky above for canvas
Beyond caustic hands spilling malice
As you crawl like fire reaching the sky
My eager pen tries to describe you

But struggles for the perfect words
You dance with abandon in the horizon
Tantalizing my vision with hues of red
And yellow and orange, all vibrant
Like a lovers’ campfire by the lakeside
Hoping to spill comfort from its warmth
The grass glistening from dewdrops
Awaits the soft, warm kiss from your lips
A thin, shy cloud cinctures your waist
And tops your crown, drinking your light
Losing its nature, becoming light itself
Becoming part of you, forgetting it is cloud
Fully knowing the morning is your show
Slowly, you change your shape in the sky
As white clouds pull you from the depths
Of your hiding place behind Sierra Madre
Your beauty takes a different shape
My camera captures your enigmatic smile
Which becomes mine, till it consumes me
I pray to hold you still, still in one place
To kneel before your unmatched grace
When hideousness creeps into my world
(by Cheryl Daytec, April 2008)