Last week I was in South Korea for another technical meeting. The flight from Tokyo to Seoul is around two hours. I was about to sleep when my eyes caught sight of a familiar silhouette – that was of Japan’s tallest mountain, Mt. Fuji. I grabbed my smart phone and took a lot of photos until it disappeared.
Fleeting, like life.
talking to summer
clouds in silence, breathing life
silhouettes of trees
/totomai
The past week I also received some sad news. A college professor succumbed to pneumonia, a high school teacher to breast cancer, and a young colleague to cardiac arrest. I found out on Facebook and it was shocking to see consecutive status about their deaths. My mentors were sick for quite a while, but I thought my colleague was healthy. We talked a lot about our families while working and he also shared his dreams in life. Rest in peace, my friends.
Ah life, fleeting.
But as Haruki Murakami once said -
“Death is not the opposite of life but an innate part of it. By living our lives, we nurture death.”
/totomai
2016/10/19
Photos taken with iPhone6s
The death of friends and colleagues is always a reminder of our own mortality and that we should not waste a moment of our lives.
ReplyDeleteYes Robin and we may never know when will be our last sleep.
DeleteMy conversations with life in the landscape is one way I deal with grief. I am sorry for your loss, grateful for this poem. It is so good to see you!
ReplyDeleteIt's been a while Susan. Been trying to write but sometimes work is the priority.
Deletetalking to clouds about life nurturing death...that could be quite something. Sorry for your loss.
ReplyDeleteThanks Thotpurge!
DeleteOh this is absolutely breathtaking!! ❤️
ReplyDeleteArigatou Sanaa
DeleteTotomai, I am so sorry you lost three friends and colleagues so close together. Hard to absorb and, yes, life is fleeting. The photo of Fuji sticking up thru clouds is striking, just a gorgeous photo. Wow. Views from planes mesmerize me, I always sit with my nose pressed to the glass, dont want to miss a thing.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sherry. I've been traveling a lot but this is the first time I saw Mt Fuji. So excited as a kid, I kept on clicking my smart phone lol
DeleteTalking to summer is easy. Listening to summer is sometimes hard!
ReplyDeleteBut necessary. Thanks MMT!
DeleteAh, life is so fleeting, isn't it? And conversations about it don't often occur. We all try to pretend we will live forever and those we know will live forever. In my poem as well, I kind of bemoan the death of REAL conversation. The depthful stuff that is life. I appreciate your poem / your words because you speak about what is not easy, but real. Thank you, Totomai!
ReplyDeleteSince coming here in Japan, I more open in talking about deaths. Maybe because everyone here is fine talking about it. Thanks Mary.
DeleteLove the words clouds in silence breathing life. Feels relaxing. Love your photo.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry to hear about all your sad news.
Thanks Marja :-)
DeleteWow! Simply splendid, Totomai!Love that photo too!!
ReplyDeleteI am deeply saddened by the loss that you have encountered. My condolences.
Great pic Totomai. Very rare opportunity. Sorry to share your grief!
ReplyDeleteHank
Thanks Hank.
DeleteI love the idea of talking to summer....what a beautiful write Totomai! I am sad to hear of so much loss you have seen recently.
ReplyDeleteThanks Carrie. Sometimes we need to talk to seasons :-)
DeleteSo sorry to hear about these people in your life, Totomai. Like you, it has also been my experience that openness about the inevitable is sometimes cultural, and also geographical. Let me explain: people who live in a village come into contact with death more, and this enables them to express their feelings about it, too. The opposite, I think is true for highly populated cities, where disconnection is more prevalent.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your wonderful poem.
Poppy
Thanks too Poppy. You are correct with your observation. But i think we should accept that death is a part of life.
DeleteReally strong post. Love Murakami but did not know of that quote. Talking to a season is brilliant! I must steal it and conceal it in a poem of my own somewhere.
ReplyDeleteThanks Meester :-) We have to sit down and have a tea while talking to the seasons
DeleteMy condolences on the deaths of the people you knew and held dear. May you be well and remember them fondly.
ReplyDeleteFantastic photo and great haiku...
Thanks Nicholas :-)
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