Go Another Round

Tags

Chi-Tien, choka, Drunken Buddha, ego, Enlightenment, Ian Fairweather, reincarnation, TarraWara, Yarra Valley

(Tarrawara Estate.  Creative Commons attribution edwin.11)

 

When I was in the Yarra Valley, Victoria, a couple of years ago, I

was fortunate enough to see Ian Fairweather’s series ‘The Drunken

Buddha‘ at Tarrawarra, in the art gallery attached to the famous vineyard.

It takes me some time to process things I have seen, so I was delighted to

begin to read the original literary work, in translation, last week.

Here is a choka I wrote as a poetic response to chapter 1:

 

Life’s a paradox.

Yes, it is good to seek peace,

but engagement yields

understanding through conflict.

There are nuances

between life and death and each

marks vital process,

on the way to extinction

of Ego. Volunteer!

Go another round

on Reincarnation’s wheel,

though you have ‘arrived.’

Do it for your fellow men.

Help them to Enlightenment.

 

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I Know What I Like

Tags

choka, cliches, Japanese poetry, lyricism, onomatopoeia, rhyme, scansion

The old verse is best:

toil is ennobled by it.

Even a beast’s cry is onomatopoeic.

I know what I like

and I don’t mean a good rhyme,

necessarily,

or rigid scansion.

Even transferred epithets

can be somewhat trite.

Melodic lyricism

conveys true feeling.

Even cliches from the past

have elements of truth.

Musical Observations

Tags

choka, flute, go and jo stops, Kagemochi, Tatsuaki

A bad musician

always blames his instrument.

Tatsuaki said

the go and jo stops in flutes

are not in accord

with the others and when played

together, sound harsh.

He recommended that stops

like these should be lifted

before the next one

is put down.  Kagemochi

disagreed.  It takes

modulation and true skill

to blow correctly.  You’ll see!

Come As You Are

Tags

choka, saki

Sometimes impromptu

invitations are the best.

A priest wrote to me

and asked me to come forthwith.

I hesitated

for I was wearing old clothes.

He then rang me up

and said, Just come as you are.

He had some saki to share

and apologised

for not having much to eat,

but we found nibbles

to accompany the drinks.

It was a great evening!

Reaction to Fabrication

Tags

choka, fabrication, pretence

Some are gullible;

others exaggerate things;

some will discredit;

others will mull thoughts over.

The non-committal

use the word ‘allegedly.’

A few act as if

they were always in on it;

others treat it as a joke.

Some are convinced, but

are not very convincing.

People hide their thoughts,

but those with a modicum

of shrewdness, puncture pretence.

The Scheme of Things

Tags

choka, scheme of things

All is cyclical.

In Autumn, bronzed leaves descend,

but you could say that

they are pushed by forming buds.

Energy will sprout

and as old people die, new

generations come

to take their place in the world.

Bearing this in mind, one should

live Life to the full,

for no one knows when Time’s up.

Nature calls the tune,

but what comfort to know that

we’re part of the scheme of things.

 

 

On Blossom

Tags

blossom, choka, Kyogoku Chunagon, Nara

Single, not double

is the best kind of blossom.

In Nara, double

blossom is everywhere.

Now it’s gone global.

It’s quite overblown; blowsy.

Some varieties

harbour insects; flower late.

Blossoms withering on twigs

are so unsightly.

Kyogoku Chunagon

planted single types

as they scatter their petals,

evoking abundant joy.

Deferred Gratification

Tags

choka, deferred gratification, discrimination, Japanese poetry

Another re-vamp of the 14th century Japanese monk’s

observations:

 

Some people just live

to view the next spectacle.

Deferred gratification

is alien to them;

anticipation is lost

on such as these types.

They drink while they wait

and then push their way forward,

to seize the best views,

shoving past others

who have queued up patiently.

Discrimination

is lacking.  Anything thrills.

They can’t wait for the next show.

Big-Head

Tags

choka, perfect pitch

Once I saw a man

over-taking and speeding.

He is going to crash

when he takes the bend, I said –

and I was correct.

Once a girl looked up a quote

which I could recite.

A bell was cast and I heard,

at once, its tone was too sharp:

I have perfect pitch.

I like to keep people right.

It is my duty.

You’d think they would be grateful

so why do I have few friends?

 

All Shall Pass

Tags

choka, Hojo Temple, Kaneyuki, Kyogoku, Mikado, Nine Images of Buddha

Even The Palace

at Kyogoku and the

Hojo Temple are

fallen into deep decay.

The family of

the Mikado’s guardian

could not preserve them.

Nine images of Buddha

remain, however.

Kaneyuki’s painted door

has somehow survived.

Elsewhere, not even ruins

are able to tell stories.