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
“Japanese Gardens” first appeared here in January 2015.
O at the Edges 
perfect words to match – I love the simplicity and beauty of Japanese gardens
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They’re beautiful, and complex in their simplicity.
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Indeed. The genius of Japanese aesthetic works is how the simplicity is a result of complex considerations, rules, and arrangements. There is nothing more complex than something “simple” in Japan. Even the simplest looking Japanese calligraphy contains subtle complexities, themselves a product of intense training over decades. Ahhh…biteki na mono wa ne!
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It took me a while to understand how complicated, how time-consuming, “simple” could be.
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You’ve captured the intrigue of feeling held by a “complete” garden only to suddenly step into another “complete” garden – yet they are but part of something much bigger. Maybe each of us is like that – complete and yet part of something much bigger …
The lantern image looks familiar. Your photo? Do you know where it’s from? (Maybe Austin’s botanical gardens? It’s been a while since I’ve visited … this poem feels like a prompt …)
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The photo is from morguefile. I don’t know where it was taken. I used to visit the Austin gardens quite often, but haven’t been there in years.
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Been browsing photo files … don’t see it (yet) … we often visit gardens on our travels, and somewhere I’ve been near that lantern or one veeery similar!
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Love this part especially.
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Thank you.
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Most welcome.
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Love the line “So carelessly arranged, so deliberate” ❤️
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Thank you!
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