In this Japanese garden

In this Japanese garden*

the milestone measures another afternoon

beneath Himeji's White Heron castle

eight thousand kilometres away.

A single black pine tree - thunbergii

begins in late autumn sunshine

an ancient refusal with the season

of the forest to shed its leaves.

At the gatehouse purity can be painted

on the hands and mouth

water drips from bamboo to stone

with no diversity of tongues.

Before the pavilion of a Tea House

seven centuries of sand raked to shores

across an incalculable sameness of waves

and in the wild mountain lake tranquility

is measured in golden fish

that feed on the perfect reflection

of an ornamental cherry.

*Adelaide Himeji Garden

These poems are from my new collection IN THE APRICOT DARKNESS (view the cover and contents below in my recent posts). They are now being published individually, daily under 'recent posts' on my blog and will be available shortly as an eBook that can be read online or downloaded for free.