Momijigari

Cherry

By onemorething

Fri, 03 Dec 2021
  • 1387 reads
8 comments
 

Poem 8 (extra) for Day 7 of National Tree Week. A little one for Cat on Twitter because she asked for a poem about Japanese Maples and she's a very special person so am squeezing in an extra one for her. Momijigari is the Japanese tradition of maple-leaf hunting in Autumn, communing with nature and the spirits of the forest. Maple leaves are also known as frogs' hands in Japan - isn't that perfect?

 

We walk through fire,

the tracks of deer, 

frogs' hands carmine 

and freed from branches,

we are raising the dead,

but if we wish to know

how to live,

we must ask the trees. 

 

Image is from here: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MAPLE_CHISHAKU-IN.JPG

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Comments

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi again Rachel,

I love the idea of asking the trees how we should live, I'm sure they would tell us to live in peace and harmony and care for each other, that's if people would listen of course.

Your poem is a lovely example of their energy and importance.

We do have a Japanese maple growing at the bottom of our garden which I planted from a baby in 2004. Funnily enough I'm in the process of writing a poem with this tree in it. They make for wonderful colour in summer and my partner's made a den for creatures underneath it. I'm just trying to persuade my son to take a photo to go with the poem, but he's always so busy. It's looking pretty vacant at the moment with all the leaves fallen, but there are new buds already beginning to show, though they're so tiny you have to get up very close to spot them.

Thank you again for sharing and adding a splash of colour to my day. smiley

Jenny.

 

Submitted by onemorething on

The colours of a Japanese Maple are something to behold. It must be lovely to have one in your garden. And I'm sure you're quite right about what trees would tell us. Thanks so much for reading my tree week of poems, it's good to know that you've enjoyed reading them all. x

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

I did not know about this day, it is a brilliant idea. You know so many fun things!!! Your beautiful poems and all this knowledge uyhjfrtttttttttttooooooooooooooikkkkkkkkkkk I expect Tina put this much better 

 

Submitted by onemorething on

Ha ha ha, thank you Tina - always a treat to get a comment from her. Please give her a Dreamie from me. So glad you liked it. :)

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

Well if Tina likes it, you're honoured! The leaves are so obviously frogs hands, it seems odd we don't all call them that! Thank you for this little extra gem onemore - yes, we could all do with paying more attention to what trees tell us

 

Submitted by onemorething on

Yes, I'm going to call them frogs' hands from now on. :)

 

Submitted by celticman on

we raise the dead every day, but trees raise the living. 

 

Submitted by onemorething on

Wise, as usual. :)