Ryōan-ji
these rocks
I too float among clouds
looking for something
white gravel
each day the monks
rake ripples in time
pure pebble sound
I only know what is
and that is enough
silhouettes of bamboo
at the edge of the garden
we swap stories*
our sharp mysteries
the percussion of sand
over rocks**
falling snow moon
the slowness of shadows
caught in branches
* after the classic scenes of Ryōan-ji in Yasujirō Ozu’s film Late Spring, 1949
** after John Cage
Publications credits: Presence #47 (December 2012)
Ryoan-Ji:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kyoto-Ryoan-Ji_MG_4512.jpg
| Description | Ryoan Ji, Kyoto zen garden |
| Date | May 2007 |
| Source | Own work |
| Author | Cquest |
Hi Alan, I enjoyed this. I notice you call it a "a haikai sequence" rather than a haiku sequence, and wonder what significance attaches?
ReplyDeleteHi Norman,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I'd say it's not a haiku sequence, as possibly only two stanzas could be termed as haiku.
I simply took from Basho's imaginative geography in attempting a dialogue with the immediate present, past, and future, and of his thinking about space, time, and travel.
That's it in a nutshell, and I would hesitate to call it a haiku sequence or series because of the above: I'm drawing from haikai in general.
Alan
love this Alan...
ReplyDelete