№ 90. Brunnen

The mountain beside me
takes its last light-glide
across the lake.

It is almost tentative,
but the day calls its end.
The light traces its last fingers.

The lake senses this as well,
like the mountain. It mirrors the sun
And, reluctantly, lets go.

1st of June 1999, 9 PM


Bento Box:

On a trip to Europe, we stayed in Brunnen en route to Italy. Unlike Manila, the resort town by the Lake Lucerne in Switzerland offered so much personal space. There were only a handful of people out and about that early evening. Yet I could sense the activities inside the houses because of the lights and the smell of steaming coffee and fresh bread.

Surprisingly, our tour guide said that Austria was more mountainous than Switzerland. Uhuh.

Incidentally, "most experts agree that yodeling was used in Alpine folk music in the Central Alps as a method of communication between herders and their stock or between Alpine villages, with the multi-pitched 'yelling' later becoming part of the region's traditional lore and musical expression. The calls may also have been endearments shepherds used to express affection to their herds. The earliest record of a yodel is in 1545, where it is described as 'the call of a cowherd from Appenzell'." (Yodel)

The stage felt and appeared too big for the
performance. I think the production realized this
so they installed big projection screens.
It was distracting and it felt more like a concert
than a stage play.