in love with the new sun
by Ivan M. GrangerOriginal Language English
in love with the new sun
the cherry blossom forgets
the night's frost
 | -- from Real Thirst: Poetry of the Spiritual Journey, by Ivan M. Granger |
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/ Image by A-Daly /
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I wrote this poem several years ago in my Maui days, on a spring morning after emerging from a meditation. It was a time of opening for me, a time of surprising bliss, a time of settling into myself. I had gone through such terrible internal struggles up to that point, but what had kept be balanced and focused through it all had been my fierce determination to seek meaning and insight, a sense of a greater love and truth. And then one day, whoosh!, it was like I had come through the storm and found myself at rest in a wide peaceful sea.
That struggle I went through to get there, it wasn't even that I thought it had been "worth it;" it was is if even the struggle itself had been subsumed by that expansive bliss until it no longer existed, except as a story I had told myself.
I had the image of spring after a hard winter. Bright, blossoming with new life. And I wrote this haiku.
in love with the new sun
the cherry blossom forgets
the night's frost
A few years back I was contacted by a young woman in San Francisco who asked my permission to use this haiku in a tattoo she planned to get. I was flattered and surprised. I mean, to have these words, which popped into my mind in a moment of inspiration, tattooed onto your body, to carry them with you for the rest of your days, that is humbling indeed. More than that, it was a responsibility after the fact. I really had to sit with the haiku for a bit and decide if I thought it was worthy of such an honor.
In her email, she said that the poem spoke to her, that the cherry blossoms suggested to her that, because life is short, you need to live to the fullest and seize opportunities, and that any difficulties or sorrows are temporary. She mentioned that she had been through many hardships in her life but that she recognized the importance of not holding grudges or dwelling in the past "because every day is special... like cherry blossoms that bloom for a short time." Clearly a wise woman, wisdom that has been hard-earned.
I gladly gave her my permission to use the poem in her tattoo. But I still had a bit of a dilemma: With this haiku being utilized in such a special way, I wanted to ask for a photograph, but, you know, I wasn't sure exactly where the tattoo would be placed on her body. I tried to find the most diplomatic language possible to ask for a photo "if appropriate." A few weeks later she sent back a snapshot of the lines of the haiku tattooed in an elegant script running along her lower ribs on one side
(Whew.)
Have a beautiful day! Don't forget to feel the new sun on your face.
=
First PS-- Notre Dame
We are all stunned and shocked by the burning of Notre Dame in Paris. This is more than the destruction of a great landmark. Whether or not one is a Catholic or a Christian, Notre Dame Cathedral is one of the great sacred spots on the planet. Notre Dame, of course, means Our Lady, a reference to Mother Mary. Notre Dame is a focal point for the Divine Feminine. What aspect of the Divine Mother is in flames? The natural world? The treatment of women in culture? Nurturing and compassion in society? But I also find myself asking, How does fire change from destruction to renewal?
PPS-- Rabbits!
Yesterday my wife and I were surprised to see a rabbit sitting on our front lawn. We occasionally see rabbits on our walks, but this rabbit seemed contentedly camped out right in front of our house. Then we saw a second rabbit, and eventually a third. As we watched them, we noticed they were scurrying in and out from under our front porch. One rabbit in particular would pop out, grab several fallen pine needles and other leaves, then dart back under the porch. We think they are building a new warren under there. We've been blessed by a family of rabbits just a few days before Easter.
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