Earlier this year, Carolyn Files, a creative friend of mine, posted a picture of the wisteria in her back yard. She knows I am a sucker for a good photo, but in reality it was her comment that got me working on a piece.
I met Carolyn on Facebook through Sandra Nantais, who has provided me with many pieces for inspiration. Carolyn commented on several of those pieces and through conversations, also started providing me with inspiration.
On March 26th, I was called out with the photo below and the comment “Michael Strosahl, wisteria in my back yard. Goat barn in pasture. I have just finished my coffee.”
Her photo and comment, along with another photo by none other than her Louisiana cohort, Sandra, got me digging into Wisteria as a possible poetic endeavor.
In my internet searches, I found a reference to Kabuki theater. "The Wisteria Maiden" was one of five dances that were performed in Kabuki theater as a sequence starting in 1826 and is the only one that survives to this day. In a 1937 revision of the play, the maiden becomes the spirit of the wisteria.
I posted the poem that came about, along with their photos to Facebook as a response. It was one of my more popular posts among readers. Shortly thereafter, the poem was picked up by the internet blog Our Day’s Encounter.
Sadly, I recently found out that Carolyn passed after discovering she had advanced cancer. She will be missed.
Fiji Musume (The Wisteria Maiden)
In Kabuki,
the actor is the wind,
swirling his long hair
as a branch alive with blossoms
and he becomes her,
the wisteria
dancing the birth of spring,
the rise of her spirit
sweet upon the air.
In my garden,
the wind is the actor,
pulling at her flowers
and it is the maiden’s flight,
the wisteria
out across the goat pasture,
the scent gathering divine
in the evening’s warmth—
the crowd is enthralled.
Fiji Musume (The Wisteria Maiden)
In Kabuki,
the actor is the wind,
swirling his long hair
as a branch alive with blossoms
and he becomes her,
the wisteria
dancing the birth of spring,
the rise of her spirit
sweet upon the air.
In my garden,
the wind is the actor,
pulling at her flowers
and it is the maiden’s flight,
the wisteria
out across the goat pasture,
the scent gathering divine
in the evening’s warmth—
the crowd is enthralled.
| Copyright © 2021 by Maik Strosahl Michael E. Strosahl has focused on poetry for over twenty years, during which time he served a term as President of the Poetry Society of Indiana. He relocated to Jefferson City, Missouri, in 2018 and currently co-hosts a writers group there. |
Sorry about Carolyn, but she will always be remembered by this wonderful poem.
ReplyDeleteYour comparison is apt-the blossoms look like a ballerina with her arms over her head, or, I'm sure, a Kabuki dancer as well. Interesting how the least thing can inspire your great verses.Encore, encore...
ReplyDelete