When I first encountered zen gardens during my time in Japan, I never quite ‘got’ them. On the surface they appeared boring, they lacked sensory appeal and they spoke in a language peaceful yes, but strangely dull to me.
It was only years later that I began to catch a glimmer of understanding; how their quintessential ‘changelessness’ is a key to grasping their true value. While the landscape around them blossoms into spring, turns ravishingly beautiful in summer, falling into the glory of autumn and then the austerity of winter, the zen garden remains seasonless, still, everlastingly the same in the midst of change. And so it is when contemplating the deeper truths of life in the midst of the chaos and churn of every day living.
What follows is not a poem inspired by zen gardens; but it seemed to share a similar feeling in its landscape, mood and intention as I wrote, puzzling over a life problem which could be seen to have its roots in Japan.
From my personal photos: Ryogen Daitoku-ji temple in Kyoto
Silence has many tongues
all untranslatable
I can no longer find you
in the mapping of words
Your silence says everything
and tells me nothing
transparent as a veil, unforgiving as stone
both mute and eloquent
in ambiguity
sealed in the armour
of staying unknown
So hard to know then
what really needs saying
and right now I can’t find the words
but I can search in two possible places
One is my heart
long unable to mend
the other my soul which in daily rebellion
kicks at how language
can’t hold us together
just this silence
which binds us invisibly as surely as love would have
if we’d been able to trust where it took us
So I search in the breaking
which grieves the unfinished
the squandered awakening
the reunion undone
and I still see so clearly
the greater intention
not this fugitive love
which cannot give more than
this silence for silence
which seems like an ending
but is really a listening
a dowsing for stillness
in this landscape of words
And out of the stillness
words rise to the surface
massive like islands
to say what needs saying
They rise up to answer a call from the future
a freshly made country not yet known or mapped out
with the naming of words
It will wait
And how we next meet will find its own way
like a mysterious traveller speaking in tongues
who returns to your doorway delivering a message
steeped in a language vivid with meaning
but which cannot be heard or translated
except by a much larger love
Not yet here
nina nakamura 
and out of the stillness
words rise to the surface
massive like islands
to say what needs saying
killing it, girl. this stanza is amazing. i think these four lines completely encapsulate the zen garden. to me, a zen garden has the the same beauty as a blank canvas. walking down the street in fall, surrounded by drifting orange, red, and yellow leaves, each leaf means nothing. but in a zen garden in september, if a single crimson leaf falls into a perfectly pristine zen garden, it becomes the centerpiece. it takes on a new beauty it never could have on its own. the white, abscense of color and heavy stylization makes the leaf breathtaking.
when i read these lines, i thought the massiveness of the words results from the silence that surrounds them.
love it. keep up the great work.
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Misha – you’re amazing! You ‘got’ that image completely! Thank you so much for your close reading – that means a lot to me. And hey, just so you know, you’re getting a mention in my next blog that I’m working on…Nina
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i love the photography you place on your entries 🙂
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🙂 Thanks Cassandra. I try to use images I’ve come across on other blogs or from friends whenever I can rather than arbitrary pics from the internet – makes it more personal somehow…
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A beautiful story of distance, mystery, and openness to a greater love. How touching! I think we can all relate to that somehow. Your words flowed like the water I have seen in some Japanese gardens. Definitely the image garden and your words are in harmony.
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Ah beautiful Beijas! So lovely you have come to visit – I’ve been following your blog and I can see how you might relate…xx
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A zen-like poem hiding much emotion – lovely.
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You’re perceptive…:-)
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Hi Nina, I loved reading this article. Lovely poem too. I also come to realise the beauty and the depth of Japanese culture of hidden emotions (aka silence) as I grew. It’s interesting how each culture has its own value in the way they communicate with one another. Thanks for sharing.
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Yes, Marysue, much can be said in the unspoken and there’s hidden depth – as you point out – in what outwardly appears to be quite plain and unshowy. Thank you for commenting!
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