Tags
Going to do another one, as I think I spoilt this one by using chalk
too vigorously. Saw the originals at The Ashmolean and some
others in Canberra and became fascinated by
petrosomatoglyphs in general.
31 Wednesday Jan 2018
Tags
Going to do another one, as I think I spoilt this one by using chalk
too vigorously. Saw the originals at The Ashmolean and some
others in Canberra and became fascinated by
petrosomatoglyphs in general.
27 Wednesday Dec 2017
Posted Environment, Literature, Nature, Philosophy, Poetry, Summer 2012, Writing
in(Image Todaiji Buddha: Wikipedia)
When a child is crushed
in a terrible earthquake,
even a samurai sobs.
The after- tremors:
they are quite terrifying.
It was bad enough
when the Todaiji Buddha’s
head fell off, so long ago.
But, what did it signify?
Anything at all?
Man’s vanity was rife then
and it exists now.
What is the point of trying
to analyse it? No point.
16 Thursday Nov 2017
Posted Community, Literature, Personal, Poetry, Relationships, Religion, Romance, Social Comment, Writing
inTags
Still inspired by The Pillow Book (10th century Japan)
(Wikimedia Commons; Third Princess)
At Hase Temple,
there was a vulgar scrabble
to see the Buddha
and to present petitions.
A conch shell would blast
and a bell reverberate.
Your own devotions
could easily be side-tracked
by other pilgrims’ requests.
The devout will pray
practically the whole day;
some even at night,
but a few young men
just go to meet girls.
04 Saturday Nov 2017
Posted mythology, Poetry, Religion, Social Comment, Writing
inThe baby’s first steps
were reputedly seven.
A lotus blossomed,
marking the length of each stride.
On the last, he spoke:
There will be no more comings!
All over the world
petrosomatoglyphs* show
authoritative imprints.
(The Big Foot Era
was inaugurated by
Empress Wu Zetian.)
Messiahs, kings and despots
thereafter trampled the Earth.
(Wikimedia Commons. Image: Tido, 1993. Lumbini Stupa)
02 Sunday Jul 2017
Posted Animals, art, Arts, Community, Environment, mythology, Nature, Nostalgia, Philosophy, Poetry, Relationships, Religion, Writing
inTags
Asakusa, Buddha, cranes, Custom Pine, Enoshima, geisha, Meguro, Mount Fuji, pagoda, Sazai Hall, shogun, Suma, The Great Wave
They won’t be engulfed
as the wave is not constant,
unlike Mount Fuji.
Though clouds surround it,
they condense on Mount Fuji;
collide and stream down.
Incoming rainstorm
darkens one flank of Fuji;
its opposite basks.
The bridge dominates
until you see the mountain,
framed by its supports.
Everyone ignores
what the weather is up there:
noses to grindstone.
Compared to Fuji,
the Custom Pine seems bigger.
That’s an illusion.
Tending to your horse;
casting your line in the lake:
Fuji’s your backdrop.
Some will go ahead.
I look after the horses.
Fuji protects me.
The cycle of work…
you turn your back on Nature,
but you have to eat.
The wind buffets here;
we are unable to stand.
Imagine up there!
No one flies a kite
from the summit of Fuji:
they would disappear.
The mountain reflects
the vicissitudes of life
down at our level.
See, from Sazai Hall,
an excellent view is had
over the still lake.
Snowed in, the geisha
take delight in bird-watching
and white-capped Fuji.
Farmers, falconers
below Meguro work hard:
Fuji their shogun.
The water wheel turns
because melted snow flows down
from Fuji’s cold slopes.
Sails, roofs, pagoda
of Enoshima echo
conical Fuji.
Part 2 – next 18 views on following post.
25 Monday Jul 2016
Posted Humour, Philosophy, Poetry, Politics, Psychology, Relationships, Social Comment, Travel, Writing
in(Table Setting 5/10/12: photo by micah sittig
flickr.com/photos/msitttig/4675623306)
If you want to be a nine hundred year
old fish, then stay at the back of the tank,
our guide quipped. A proverb? But I heard fear
from a not too distant past, when some sank
without trace. Huge frogs with bulbous eyes
hunkered behind smaller fry: plump Buddhas,
withdrawing from contact, like all the wise-
too intellectual for consumption. As
we eschewed the coiled snakes and frilled reptile,
we saw longevity and survival
was to become what others revile:
thus to outlive an attractive rival.