Join Lee and Roger on two short journeys to view two of our most famous displays of spring color: to Mt. Vernon in Skagit County with its daffodil fields and the University of Washington campus in Seattle with its blooming cherry trees.
Dear Reader,
Brings me pleasure to join Lee and Roger on this drizzly, chilly April afternoon in Everett. I enjoy Lee’s photographs and spend some time on the web finding Haiku for the post. Insights of Haiku poetry often puzzle me and this afternoon I take the time to be amused and have an “aha” moment or two about a confusing Haiku.
The cherry blossom (Sakura) is the national flower of Japan and it represents a time of “renewal and optimism” and symbolizes “the transience” of life. The Haiku poetry reminds me of spring’s beauty and also of its fleeting quality as represented in the Sakura.
The Japanese have a custom called “Hanami” which means “flower viewing” and is part of the celebration that takes place in Japan beneath the blooming cherry trees. Do take some time to get outside and participate in this yearly renewal of returning life!
Tim
DAFFODILS
delicate yellow
daffodilian beauties
blooms gently nodding
By Deborah Guenther Beachboard
sunny spring morning
daffodils dance in the breeze ~
welcoming splendor…
By Denise Hart
Goddess scented daffodils
Beckoning the dawn…
By Ravinda Kayak
CHERRY BLOSSOMS
Spring is I think
early cherry blossoms
in the heart.
-Sumitaku Kenshin 1061-1087-
Temple bells die out.
The fragrant blossoms remain.
A perfect evening!
Basho
Hey there, wait a moment,
Before you strike the temple bell
At the cherry blossoms.
Ishu
How many, many things
They call to mind
These cherry-blossoms!
Basho
In the cherry blossom’s shade
there’s no such thing
as a stranger.
Kobayashi Issa
The cherries’ only fault:
the crowds that gather
when they bloom
Early Japanese Literature
A Spring breeze is blowing
I’m bursting with laughter
— wishing for flowers
Basho
What a strange thing!
to be alive
beneath cherry blossoms.
Issa
Even an old man has
New Year’s eyes
Cherry blossoms.
Issa
When cherry trees bloom
Birds have two legs
Horses four
Basho
Between our two lives
there is also the life
of the cherry blossom.
Basho
THANKS FOR TAKING TIME TO APPRECIATE THESE ICONIC SPRING BLOOMS!
To view Lee’s recent post WECOME,SPRING, – click here
Super-duper post! Great choices for the accompanying words, and breathtaking images!