triveni spotlight A FEATURE EVERY ALTERNATE DAY! hosts: Teji Sethi and Kala Ramesh guest editor: Sanjuktaa Asopa
to know the light
the way a leaf
falls through it
-- Francine Banwarth
Shiki Kukai, September 2010)
Editor's Note: The theme is ' The Ephemeral'. My endeavour here is to feature the poems that portray the ephemerality of things and emotions.
to know the light
close eyes
and unite feelings
This poem is a perfect example of ‘the ephemeral’ and like all of the best haiku I have read, this one leaves so much room for the reader to ’finish’ the poem with her own meaning. For me, this poem is very spiritual and brings me to the core of life - my own and all life. I love the natural world and spend many hours studying and observing the life cycle and indeed, the cycles the earth runs through on a regular basis. A leaf ‘falls’ through the light from its very first unfurling in spring and as the light changes, so too, does the leaf, aging and eventually ‘falling‘ through the air to the ground. Even then, …
Lovely ku. But even more amazing, the conversations about this.
to know the light
Is the core ...
and how!
the way a leaf
falls through it I would go as far to say, that 'it' wasn't needed at all.
to know the light
the way a leaf
falls through
Lovely one.
Lakshmi has analysed this poem so superbly, but for me this poem, for all these years since i read it first, has been a moment full of beauty and wonder. I could never go beyond that light which held me spellbound and whenever i saw a falling leaf, I looked to find that light around it. Thank you so much Francine for teaching me to see beyond and differently.