by Amy Uyematsu
Rice fields in an endless sea. Leaves of ripe pear and cherry trees
in season. Crisp cucumber, pickled cabbage, shiny sheets of dried kelp.
Needles of miniature bonsai juniper. Clusters of tiny fans on a ginkgo branch.
The threaded five-fingered leaves of Japanese maple. A mineral-filled lake's
shimmering jade stillness. Forest pine and fern just after the summer rain.
Damp moss on a shaded stone. Giant sugi cypress at the temple gate.
Lotus leaves opening in an ancient pond.