Japanese Gardens

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Japanese Gardens

how natural the
lines falling so
purely as if

with a single
stroke we walk
through the opening

and see space
the white center
composed of sand

and gravel later
a gate opens
to another garden

its lantern and
stone so carelessly
arranged so deliberate

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50 thoughts on “Japanese Gardens”

  18. Japanese gardens intrigue me. I spent three years living near Tokyo and since then have enjoyed researching and writing about the country and culture in my fantasy adventures. Since you liked my story Ju-Fu, Paper Magic, you might also like Tengu Prince, Book One in the series: Legends of the Demon Shape Shifters.

    May the Year of the Green (Wood) Sheep bring you all the best!

    Ledia Runnels

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  21. Robert, if I may say so, your poem is a living embodiment of “lines falling so/ purely as if/ with a single/ stroke we walk/ through the opening/ and see space/ the white center/ composed of sand.” The words may feel like sand in a poet’s mouth–rough or soft, windblown or static-ly piled one grain on the other–but they have a permanence to them . . . like these serene gardens. I am enthralled by your line breaks and enjambment techniques here, and am still pondering that last stanza, polishing it like a stone in my mind, one might say. The more I read the seeming enjambment of “gravel later,” the more I enjoy it. The words are seamlessly flowing here, too, not just solid as a stone. On another (travel) note, the botanical garden in St. Louis, Missouri, has a nice Japanese/tea garden you might like, if you’ve never been. I particularly enjoyed their zig-zag bridge and use of plants such as bonsai and lichens (I think that’s what the correct nontechnical name for the latter bright-green “carpeting”), as well as rocks somewhat similar to what you depict here in words and photography.

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    • Gosh, Leigh. If I ever need a publicist, or just someone to make my writing sound a lot better than it is, I’ll turn to you! I truly appreciate your kindness and the time you spend on your comments. Many, many thanks. 🙂

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