To think imaginatively, to engage the poetic mind, is to participate in the inherent human praxis of making--igniting and acting on the desire to create. Through words and images, artist, poet and teacher Susan Kelly-DeWitt joins across space, time and culture with 18th-century artist Komai Ki to celebrate the moment, which is every moment, the one(s) we mark by noticing. Thank you to Susan for permission to post her poem.
The Fortunate Islands
Here
each red maple leaf
five fingers begging alms
even the crescent moon
slicing a cloud
is a fortunate island
through which I draw
my prime meridian
my zero-line
In the ink-dark temple
the past seems far away
I can cross the wooden bridge
in either direction
(after "Maple Leaves at Mt. Takao, Kyoto" by Komai Ki, 1747-1797)
- Susan Kelly-DeWitt, from The Fortunate Islands
Daily Prompt: Stand still before something that interests you, a picture, a tree, a scene. Enter the moment. Then describe it, borrowing Susan's first word "here." Or, read Susan's poem aloud, perhaps to a tree wearing autumn foliage. Writing, reading, you're engaging your poetic mind either way. Enjoy.
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