Standard

Posted by

Posted on

August 1, 2014

Posted under

Photography, Poetry

Comments

35 Comments

Japanese Garden Magic

Japanese Tea Garden, San Francisco, California

 

Magic hides in the quiet spaces:
Weights lift in the greening.*
Tree branches and bark take shapes
In the corner of the eye;
Lights flicker like fairies dancing.
A turned head, and the magic’s gone.
An arched bridge holds infinite
Possibilities for revealing
Secrets, just over the crest.
Only children can climb it.
Invite the magic to sup jasmine tea
And nibble an almond sweet,
And soon the whole day seems a dream.

Copyright 2014 Brenda Davis Harsham

* Note: This use of “greening” is meant to refer to the process of feeling younger in a garden, feeling the years drop away and spirits lift. Greening can be defined as the return to youthful characteristics.

35 thoughts on “Japanese Garden Magic”

  2. as the beautiful Sidhe steps out of the forest…. I couldn’t tell if that was a statue or a person, it looks like one the Seelie Court stepping into the opening to begin the picnic or to check a site for their ball 🙂
    Beautiful Brenda
    Take Care…You Matter
    )0(
    maryrose

    Like

    Reply

  3. That looks such a magical place – I love Japanese gardens, they are so fantasy like!! 🙂 And it’s definitely a place to have a greening moment. Thank for explaining that, I’ve not heard of that word before, very interesting – obviously based on young plants! I have a Japanese garden poem coming up sometime, but could be a while as I have a bit of a queue of drafts! I have some vivid memories of walking a Japanese garden with my Dad when I was little, which is probably why I like them so much – precious memories get even more precious as I get older!

    Like

    Reply

    • My hubby and I visited that garden when we were dating. For our 15th wedding anniversary, we created our own Japanese herb garden in part of our yard with a pink granite bench, a pink granite lantern, and white granite stepping stones. We grow tomatoes, cucumbers, and some other veggies, but the main structure is around our perennial herbs. It’s a beautiful spot. Good memories.

      Like

      Reply

  4. Now, THAT’S magic, indeed! Wonderful magic! 🙂
    I used to follow you through my other blog (haiku blog), which has now become very neglected. I was pleasantly surprised to see that you found my other blog. Thanks for the follow there!

    Like

    Reply

  11. A great image, I wonder if we have a bridge like it in the Wood? As usual your imagination inspires the rest of us, the words create a vivid and real world in which we can almost taste the lost experiences we had with our childhood imagination and creativity.

    Like

    Reply

Comments welcome!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.