travelling along the contours
THE SHAPES OF LEAVES
Ginkgo, cottonwood, pin oak,
sweet gum, tulip tree:
our emotions resemble leaves and alive
to their shapes we are nourished.
Have you felt the ex- panse and contours of grief
along the edges of
a big Norway maple?
Have you winced at
the orange flare
searing the curves of a curling dogwood?
I have seen from the air logged islands,
each with a network of branching
gravel roads,
I have seen from the air logged islands,
each with a network of branching
gravel roads,
and felt a moment of
pure anger, aspen gold.
I have seen sandhill cranes moving in an open field,
a single white whooping crane in the flock.
And I have traveled along the contours
of leaves that have no name. Here
where the air is wet and the light is cool,
of leaves that have no name. Here
where the air is wet and the light is cool,
I feel what others are thinking and do not speak,
I know pleasure in the veins of a sugar maple,
I am living at the edge of a new leaf.
From The Redshifting Web:
Poems 1970-1998,
published by Copper Canyon Press, 1998. Copyright © 1998 by Arthur Sze.
i discovered a cool blog today; its author and i sometimes think alike.
Labels: Arthur Sze, cranes, fashion, kimono, mr. adrian, poetry, vera wang, worth
7 Comments:
I am thoroughly enjoying your posts! I spent a summer in Japan years ago and have always admired anything Japanese.
thank you, willow. how lovely for you! where did you stay?
The clothing is just beautiful. So graceful and elegant! Thank you for sharing it!
my pleasure, margaret.
i was sitting there looking at these gowns, trying to figure out what they reminded me of, and suddenly i know. and then they really reminded me of them.
do you think maybe the japanese originally designed the kimono after the cranes?
So wonderful !^^
merci beaucoup, scheharazade, et bien venue!
Hello lotus
Many apologies for my belated acknowledgment of your comments on orange-tinted glasses about the kimono pattern book print. I continue to be impressed by the way you tie in japonisme to so many areas.
by the way, you probably already know about this, but came across this apparently mysterious Hokusai
http://blogs.princeton.edu/graphicarts/2007/12/hokusais_abalone_diver.html
I bet you can help!
Leann at OTG
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hi, and thanks so much for stopping by. i spend all too much time thinking my own thoughts about this stuff, so please tell me yours. i thrive on the exchange!
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