Pre Rup

By Duc Ly

Piece description from the artist

Pre Rup
Turning of the body

I climbed up the ancient stones
steep and narrow
like the back of your spine
when you bend over to reveal the skeletal bones
where I used to climb up
to the alter, the nape of your neck,
with my delicate fingers
tracing each notch
of nerve.
my fingers trembling.
on this particular afternoon
in the monsoon season of South East Asia
near the region of Angkor Wat
I begin to understand the meaning and names of temples
Pre rup means the turning of the body as in a ritual cremation
when the body becomes a sacrifice
to ashes
when the nerves no longer feel
they believe this peak
is the celebration into another realm
I stood where bodies have been turning
my digital rose compass point rotates
to align at the cardinal points
the rain begins to fall
so we hide in the false doors,
the stone niches of a sealed entry.