2. Komorebi: Shinrin-yoku
Bathing, in the way something that
still means nothing can really exist
with such tangible clarity.
Morning mist so faint it doesn’t
dampen your clothes also holds
enough moisture to feed the trees.
The mushroom garden
logs in the wet glowing dawn
inoculated
The way the forest is nowhere but now.
Deep mercurial light becomes ours
to both partake of and be consumed in.
Thunderous crashing unheard, far away,
can then become a tale of safe glow.
Slant illuminate, a blaze of soft lightning.
Pinhole cameras
scatter landscapes of the sky
resting on the stones
Or the cautious way into a gladed clearing
guides into that self-same breathing sky
gently resting on the grass, reaching into
verdant intoxicated small shade seeking
deeper, ever deeper. Light grazes ground,
being becomes breath, sky, self and stone.
21 thoughts on "2. Komorebi: Shinrin-yoku"
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Wow! Coleman, this poem is stunning– visually, sonically, and emotionally. It draws the reader near. The opening lines are arresting, and in the very best of ways. The rhythm dances beautifully down the page. Who’s braggy braggin’ now? 😆
Awesome write!
Lol…..thanks. 😀
P.s. thanks your help with the last line 🙂
Awesome! Happy to help. Wow!
Second the Wow. That morning mist which neither dampens but feeds is my favorite. You have such a way, sir.
Thanks bill. And thanks for encouraging me. This poem is still writing itself. There will be a third episode, ☺️ hopefully
That dampen your clothes also holds enough moisture to feed the trees almost made me wet. Love this shit Coleman.
Fourth the wow,
love:
Bathing, in the way something that
still means nothing can really exist
If I can’t actually go forest bathing, I can read your poem and feel the forest around. Well done!!
Had to look up the Japanese words of the title. I’m glad I did. It’s a beautiful poem, Coleman. I see the forest through your eyes and appreciate it more for the effort. It looks like you’re blending couplets and haikus, is this a fixed Japanese form or something of your own creation?
Thank you so much lee.
This poem is writing itself.
I really cant explain it any other way. Lol, without well ya know.
Yeah I think Kevin answered it best.
Your self-revelation as a mystic continues apace. You will be attracting followers to your temple soon enough. To Lee’s question above, this feels like a quasi-haibun, with the narrative part arranged in stanzas rather than prose. You innovate here as in the kitchen, making up your own rules. Love it.
Thank you sir, 😊
I’ll take it !!!
And yes this is a pretty good recipe, but…….
Lololololololol
❤️
What are we on now?
Sixth or Seventh the wow?
This feels like Mary Oliver (one of my faves) conjuring in and from Japanese forms, and wholly Coleman’s!
So so much 👏👏👏, man!
Joseph, I am of course a huge fan of hers as well, so I will take that compliment and keep at as a treasure. This poem is writing itself and it’s still got the bit firm. It is amazing to watch it unfold. Watch this space 😀
This poem just feels *yours* in that it unlocks the feeling of being in a natural space so truely. I loved it from the lines “Bathing, in the way something that/still means nothing can really exist/with such tangible clarity. ” Yes!
Thank you shaun, I can only say Yes! I’m so glad the feeling of being there is coming through.
Thanks again.
I love this, living purely in the present moment, free from past regrets or future anxieties. A very serene read.
The delicate vision of your poetry really comes through here. The “nothing is something” truth that this poem transmits! I love the loud silence! I love “thunderous crashing unheard.” I love how you see and feel the world.
What a stunning poem. So quiet and meditative. Such tenderness, Loved so many lines, but this one really stuck with me: “The way the forest is nowhere but now.”