garden at Tenryuji; my gaijin charm

Posted on: Fri, 04/13/2007 - 23:07 By: Tom Swiss

In the garden at Tenryuji.

I know what I want my backyard to look like now...

It's close to closing, and now that the crowds have thinned on this fine spring day, there's some quiet to be had. Wondrous.

(Are the legs of a pretty girl any less beautiful than a Zen garden? Any more? I think this, and I recall that Ikkyu trained here.)

Swallows(?) nesting in the rafters of the Heavenly Dragon temple. I think this perhaps makes the place more holy.

Then I think of birds and rabbits nesting in my house, in my yard; consider my blessings.


the temple bell
the cry of birds
the temple bell again


Later at The Cellar. Guitar night, a guy is singing "Mr. Bojangles" - with words in Nihongo. That's something I never thought I'd see...ought to go on that list of "I've seen things you wouldn't believe..."


My gaijin charm...sitting in Cinquecento, exchanging looks with a pretty girl across the way, I realize that I have become the other guy, the threat used to keep a boyfriend in line...