Archive
11/20/09 - (2)
Seiwa-en
"Seiwa-en" translates, from the lips of my new Japanese friend, Masako Umegaki, As "garden of pure, clear harmony and peace."
This invitingly warm late-November Friday afternoon, At the Missouri Botanical Garden, Far, yet not far, from Nagano, Hiroshima, Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka,
She and I walk slowly, contentedly, side by side, Around the fourteen acres of this blessedly serene sanctuary Alive with lanterns, lake, waterfalls, islands, bridges, basins, pines,
Gazing at the few remaining Japanese-maple leaves Fluttering from their limbs' shivering tips, As sunlight penetrates their flesh's and veins' reddish hues.
We stop, on the flat bridge, to watch whether the massive koi Will turn into humans, as legend has it, If we disturb the water, with our quarter's worth of feed.
Then, we resume the path that echoes the shape of the lake. Pointing, Masako whispers to me, Gently, in her mother tongue, "Tokiwa,"
Translating "evergreen" into its symbolic equivalents — "Longevity" and "happiness." Standing on the edge of a fine-white-gravel dry garden, We contemplate the exquisite fluidity of the undulating waves In a sea carved with a five-tined rake — Movement that arises from the essence of perfect stasis.
Then, she gestures me to stop, accept her humble gift: An ivory envelope shimmering with a floral design, Wombing a purple card, decorated in kindred symbols,
Its interior unveiling six vertical calligraphic columns Of beautifully scripted blue-inked Kanji and Hiragana characters Delineating a poem composed by Jun Takami
And a separate handwritten translation, on rice paper, Rendered by Masako, to honor me as a poet, Who would understand the symmetry of artistic harmony.
Five hours later, I can still hear my friend's soft voice: "This is my favorite time of the year, When the flowers die and shriveled leaves litter the ground."
And I understand. It reminds her of the mystery of existence, The nature of what remains hidden from common view, And the idea that within the seasons, forever is never far away.
11/20/09 - (2)
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