Foolish

The following poem lifted shamelessly from my favorite Zen/Buddhist site Whiskey River.

Tree
It is foolish
to let a young redwood
grow next to a house.

Even in this
one lifetime
you will have to choose.

That great calm being,
this clutter of soup pots and books -

Already the branch-tips brush at the window.
Softly, calmly, immensity taps at your life.
      - Jane Hirshfield

——————-

There is a large 80- or 90-foot tall redwood which shades half of the back yard at my new home.  Sometimes we wish it wasn’t there so we could have more light.  Sometimes we give thanks for its cooling shade.  Always we are awed and made small and insignificant by its great calm being.

Posted by 'mouse on 08/07 at 04:06 PM

  1. we have some tree issues with our old tiny house and some great big trees. not redwoods, though, no. but some cracks in the plaster and some roots in the plumbing. the old trees were a big part of why we wanted to live there, but we may be looking at some expensive repairs in the not too distant future. not to mention the expense of the trimming, the broken branch removal, the endless leaves and tree fluff and seedy thingies. still for the most part though, they are so good to us. shade, companionship, homes for the birds and squirrels, atmosphere, protection, beauty and yes most of all, quite simply, their presence. great calm beings. yes!

    Posted by limine  on  08/08  at  03:16 PM

  2. No longer anonymouse, eh? Glad to find your blog.

    Nice place ya got here. Nice that the first thing I see is a pome! And a link to long-forgotten Whiskey River.

    Thanks for both.

    Posted by Joan of Argghh!  on  08/09  at  10:27 AM

  3. ya know, i’ve never seen redwoods before.  gonna have to rectify that one of these days.

    heh.  i said ‘rectify.’

    Posted by kat!  on  08/09  at  03:49 PM

  4. Oh.  My.  God. 

    1) blessed by a visit from Kat! 
    2) you must rectify ASAP.  My back yard is equipped with margaritas, a hammock and aforementioned redwood.  We can rectify to our heart’s content.

    Posted by 'mouse  on  08/09  at  09:50 PM

  5. Joan, welcome.  Thanks for coming.  Stay and have a margarita under the redwood, ‘k?

    Posted by 'mouse  on  08/09  at  09:52 PM

  6. oh, i’m always about; i just rarely show myself these days.  and as long as you have margaritas and hammock enough for two, you can count me in.

    Posted by kat!  on  08/10  at  03:41 PM

  7. I’m about as far away from redwoods as you are from palm trees!

    Margaritas taste better when viewing the ocean. Ya’ll come on down to Florida.
    :)

    word veri: today39   Oh, how I wish!

    Posted by Joan of Argghh!  on  08/12  at  08:55 PM

  8. Good gravy, I can’t believe it took me so long to see this.  This is a wonder, ‘mouse.

    Posted by Bakerina  on  08/13  at  06:20 AM

  9. But I don’t want! to have to choose. I want both my ginormous redwood AND my beautifully new-tiled kitchen. OK, so I don’t have a redwood. OR a beautifully new-tiled kitchen. But, still. The premise is the same.

    (It’s a beautiful poem.)

    Posted by kerrianne  on  08/14  at  02:48 PM

  10. I never see that prettiest thing-
      A cherry bough gone white with Spring-
      But what I think, “How gay ‘twould be
      To hang me from a flowering tree.”    -
      Dorothy Parker

    Posted by goliard  on  08/30  at  09:11 AM
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