art

enduring trace

Like the comfortless plover of the beach

In the sand printing characters soon to be washed away.

Unable to leave a more enduring trace in this fleeting world.

~The Sarashina Diary, AD 1009-1059   (Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan)

enduringtracesarashina

The enduring qualities of art…speaking through time’s boundaries…resonating with the soul’s deep and private moments.

not yet

notyetrumikoTree

Within a tree
another tree that is not yet,
and now the upper branches shift in the wind.

Within the blue sky
another blue sky that is not yet,
and now the horizon is rent by a bird in flight.

Within a body
another body that is not yet,
and now the shrine gathers blood.

Within a road
another road that is not yet,
and now that space is shaken by my destination.

–Kora Rumiko

 

the untruth…the greatest truth

anovelistMilosz

“…the power of attraction exerted by totalitarian thinking, whether of the left or of the right, does not belong to the past…

When a writer strives to present reality most faithfully he becomes convinced that the untruth is at times the greatest truth. The world is so rich and so complex that the more one tries not to omit any part of the truth, the more one uncovers wonders that elude the pen.
…
Eyes that have seen should not be shut; hands that have touched should not forget when they take up the pen.”

~Czeslaw, Milosz: The Captive Mind

 

thursday’s special: vernal

just being alive

I

and the poppy

~Issa (www.haikuguy.com)

poppiesthree

“We humans have talented artist, but how can our paintings compare to your masterpiece of the four seasons? How could we ever paint such a compelling dawn or create a more radiant dust? We have great composers, but how can our music compare to your celestial harmony with the Sun and planets-or to the sound of the rising tide? We have great heroes and heroines who have endured wars, hardship, and dangerous voyages, but how can their bravery compare to your great forbearance and patience…” ~Thich Nhat Hanh, Love Letter to the Earth

submitted in response to Lost in Translation’s photo challenge.