Spring

A dog barks
At a peddler:
Peach trees are blooming.
Buson
 

I had a free day. It’s early spring here in Sonoma- chilly mornings, clear afternoons with bright emerald green fields dotted with yellow mustard in front of fire charred hills. I’d been preoccupied for the past year, reacting to the dangers in my county, the country and the world. But now, the narcissus stalks I brought home from yesterdays walk fragrance the air. I’m pulled to go outside and enjoy the smell of the rain, see the weeds that optimistically assert themselves in sidewalk cracks, and walk the rolling fields of this fruitful Miwok land I have the good fortune to temporarily steward.
 
How wonderful to walk on a planet that grows blossoming plum trees, hopping, cagey blackbirds, and redwood trees that stand in fellowship with one another. With just a tiny bit of awareness the goodness of clouds, thick with impending rain, and fern lined forests outweigh the craziness man has managed to drum up.
 

The two plum trees:
I love their blooming,
One early, one later.
Buson
 

It’s all so fragile. The land without rain turns brown and the animals are impelled to move into territory claimed by humans then killed as pests. There is no guarantee what the outcome of this Earth experiment will be. How much do we weigh in? How much do we cede control to forces larger than ourselves? It’s so easy to feel helpless given the magnitude to the task, so easy to hope someone else will turn the ship around and we’ll all be safe.
 

Yield to the willow
All the loathing,
All the desire of your heart.
Basho

 
I may be able to enjoy the fruits of the Earth till the end of my days. They will most likely remain for that long. But what about those who live on after I’m gone? On a morning like this I replenish my will to stand up for the land with the land. It nourishes me and I, in turn, am inspired to take care of it. There are people smarter and more powerful than I am who are fighting for the well being of the Earth, for refugees, for the vulnerable and marginalized. I do what I can to support them in their effort. None of us are insignificant.

 
Hey! Don’t let that horsefly
Do everything,
At the window.
Issa