Sandakan before WWII is a significant setting for the novel I've been working on for about two and a half years now. Last year, I had a chance to visit this small city to study its history, spaces, people, smell, and culture. One of my favorite experiences was the Agnes Keith's House. Agnes Keith was an American writer who had lived in Sandakan with her English husband before WWII. Back then, Sandakan was a British settlement, a vibrant and exciting place full of people from all over the world. Its harbour was called "Little Hong Kong" and at that time, the harbour was considered as one of the most beautiful harbours in the world. Now, Agnes Keith's house is a historical building, renovated, preserved and maintained. Inside the house, there's an exhibition of Keith's life and the books she'd written about North Borneo.
I was flipping through my old travel journal this morning and found an entry (sort of like a poem) I had written last year while sitting on a beautiful timber chair in Agnes Keith's house, imagining her daily life around the house. Here's the entry:
Sitting on a Timber Chair
So light and fresh the air. Warm and cozy it feels,
Sitting on this timber chair that have preserved stories
Of love and sufferings. The music of the rainforest; an orchestra
Of songbirds, insects, and trees--carried in the salty winds
Spread across the island, crooning mellifluous melodies.
What word can I use to truly explain this
Serenity that blossoms in my heart, as I sit, still,
Pondering upon the life you have lived.