… I’ve come to talk with you again.’
I’m always reminded of these great lyrics from Simon and Garfunkels ‘Sound of Silence’ when late fall begins to slide into darkness.
Winter is the fourth season – the one many of us dislike the most. Why is that? It is the season of darkness, of cold, of dormancy. Fall can tease us with brilliant color and awakening cool but it also brings diminishing light and melancholy thoughts. Winter is more associated with Death – Death is the one human experience most of us wish to avoid and many people spend an inordinate amount of time trying to escape. Many of us in the colder realms fly off to take a winter vacation to a warmer climate to escape the cold and darkness. Although it can be seen as another human fantasy about avoiding death (by growing and admiring ancient trees, etc), bonsai is also life affirming.
Let us look at winter in a different light.- NOT the season of despair. Sure it evokes melancholy but that is part of life. Befriend it. Winter also means sleep, rest, dreaming….
Many of us know John Naka winter haiku – it is always fresh to remember it this time of year:
Last Leaf has fallen
Tree will sleep and I will dream
Spring is tomorrow.
Here is one of my shohin larch holding on to it’s needles for a few more days before it get tucked away for the season.
