Saturday, June 30, 2012

Rice Koan

 The model of a Japanese Zen priest, 
borrowed from The Reformed Buddhist

Kerry's intriguing Sunday challenge at Imaginary Garden With Real Toads is a Chinese koan. Her instructions and historical references can be found here.

The sound of rice swishing in the sorting basket
is like small pebbles in a tilted rain-stick.
Is that the scent of fresh rain, through the open doorway?
The rice is full of imperfections today.

14 comments:

  1. Oh, how lovely. Your third line is a surprise, and created such visual impact - I could see the moment so clearly. And I loved the subtlety of the last line. Excellent.

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  2. lovely take Sherry.monsoon is approaching here.and I adore the smell of rain-soaked earth!

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  3. Loved what you did with this form, Sherry! A wonderful write.

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  4. Wow, you did a killer job with this one! Amazing... The third line took us elsewhere and then back to reality...Bravo!

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  5. Your Koan tantatalises all the senses magically! Really beautiful!

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  6. Beautiful ~ I love the last line ~

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  7. Oh, wow, Sherry!! I love the variation in line three...the harmony of all the lines together and the suggestion of the state of things in your closing line. This is brilliant!!

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  8. I like what you did with this form--which still seems a little mystifying to me! I have to go read more about it.

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  9. I love the way the 1st 2 lines open up the sense of sound, the next one tingles with smell, and the last line paints a picture.
    Very sensual indeed :)

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  10. This is wonderful Sherry..The senses are engaged in sound, sight, and smell. Beautiful!

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  11. Fantastic read. I showed my partner this.

    "Look! Someone wrote a poem about rice..."

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  12. oh! how beautiful! i want to smell rice- and rain-soaked earth.

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