Ph: Nature: Autumn In Kyoto Poem by Brian Johnston
Ph: Nature: Autumn In Kyoto
Decaying wooden temples,
Frozen in place by garden paths
That tie them to the earth,
A virtual spider's web from the air.
Foliage jealous of the sun
Reflecting back its colored hues
Of sunrise and sunset,
In a last blue holding of breath
Anticipating end of life…
As if its summer shades of cooler green
Were not gift enough,
And creation itself not God's self-portrait.
The seasonal earth tilt
All that is needed to
Lower temperatures to freezing
Triggering fall's avalanche of color,
The nip in the air,
Like a wolf at our heels
Adds an urgency to our steps
As we climb wooden stairs to pray
To a higher power…
The painter touches his brush to the palette,
Mixing colors almost without thinking,
He fills the canvas with his own demise.
Jan 2,2015
Poet's Notes: A special note of appreciation to poet Niko Tiliopoulos whose Poem of the Day on Jan 2,2015, ‘Don't Go To Bali' and especially his poem ‘A Rainy Day In Kyoto' played a large role in inspiring my poem.
brian, do you mean: Kyoto City in Japan Kyoto is a city located in the central part of the island of Honshu, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Wikipedia i might have been there. ? [[brian, you spelled it Kyota (note the a) when you sent it to me in a message]] SO, the foliage is holding its breath to turn blue so it can have more color than green? ? ? or does it have to do with a blue haze given off by some 'gum'/eucalyptus trees (at least in australia, from what i've heard) ? so far, i've read the first stanza and it is pretty good, except that i don't get the 'blue' reference (or do i?) , and of course you've (almost always?) got to get God involved; that's ok! really! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - now for the rest of it: i love the part about the wolf, but i'm stymied about his own demise. i tended to associate his... demise to God's demise, BUT then his might have been capitalized, and why would you be talking of His demise? is He dying? is there a Kyota Oklahoma or California? thanks for sharing. :) bri ok, i'll give it a 7 1/2.
Many great poets have been and are still fascinated by the beautiful, majestic, magnificent and wonderful scenes of nature, and as such employs their innermost feelings and words to compose sweet poems about them. This poem about autumn is undeniably a beautiful one that vividly inculcates the personal feelings of the poet as well as the beautiful features of season. Although, Autumn does not occur in my country here, after seeking further clarification from the poet as to what the underlying characteristics of Autumn are, I have come to appreciate the imagery in this poem better. Nature never stops amusing us....no wonder the philosopher, Aristotle enjoyed using the phrase, by nature and all is due to nature Beautiful and nicely written!
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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5/6/2024 1:29:20 AM # 1.0.0.1119
Yes, I do mean Kyoto in Japan, Bri, not OK or CA! Ha! For me blue is more the color of sadness, of departure though, an anthropomorphizing of leaves changing colors because they hold their breath, like humans turning blue resisting change. And the painter, is just nature itself perhaps, painting with broad strokes.