Ikku Shrine

Still, and Still within the suicides and
sexcrimes, Slaughter, together here
You stand, decorated, a
necklace laced with
wishes,
I read your bark like braille,
tiny shrines adorn your feet,
a cat sleeps with her tongue out,
and kittens play, scratch up ancient wood,
Pure water cools my wrists,
the dragonhead licks clear sky
birds,
Still, the feather you left by my bike,
still, above my head, you trickle the sunlight,
I hear jazz in your leaves, and see the Friend in your branches,
above which the suicides and slaughter sail away and away and away.






(click on any picture to enlarge)
(i suggest you enlarge the pictue of the little black kitten hiding behind a green and orange tree.)
And remember you can enlarge all the picks on the blogsite. And they get quite big.)

Ikku Shrine
"Ikku Shrine was founded in 709 and is one of the oldest Shinto shrines in this district. The large old camphor trees in the precincts are estimated to be 1000 years old and have been designated as natural monuments by the national government."
I went there today, powered by a conversation with Eli about nature, he always, always has a way of inspiring me to go out and spend time with/touch with my hands this natural world. I cant even desctibe what he means to me in this respect. Thank you Eli for inspiring me to care more about the world and its trees.
Setting off on my bike I could see the huge camphors down the street (see them in the picture of the street?), excitement grew, and then I saw the most hunched back old woman buy something out of a vending machine.
The shrine is a large complex of many trees and wood buildings, as well as many cute kittens playing (see the kitten hanging from one of the walls? Cute, and yet....) The biggest tree (and oldest, i assume) had a rope around its neck and tiny shrines at its base, some actually embedded in the tree, and many with offerings and money on their roofs. In front of the Camphor was a larger gate and shrine, with a cat sleeping on its rim, its tongue hanging out. Before I left my house i asked the universe for a feather for me to use in one of my paintings, and at the end of my Ikku shrine adventure I found a beautiful feather waiting for me right next to the back tire of my bike. To rode off very happy and stopped by a flower shop to pick up another plant to put on top of my TV. I am now going to go paint. Thanks again, Eli. You make this world glow.