Watching the Waves
Lock down number 6! But this time we can feel the uncertainty more than ever.
We feel the anxiety around us, but we can also see a lot of compassion and kindness. This is a time in our lives that mindfulness is so important, as it connects us to the now. The past has gone, the future is not here yet and all we have is the current moment, right now. How do we adapt to and accommodate our new and unexpected present?
While considering these questions I came across Roger Keyes, who is an art historian and curator of Japanese art as well as a poet. He ‘translated’ what he found in Hokusai’s paintings, (Japanese artist) and it touched me deeply. Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) is regarded as one of the most influential and creative minds in the history of Japanese art. He was an artist, painter and a print maker.
When I read Keyes’ poem, it made me reflect on our current life experiences, what is really important to me, and what I can see around me. Hokusai encouraged us not to be afraid, to feel and love. What matters is that we care. It matters that we feel. It matters that we notice.It matters that life lives through us.
When you read Roger Keyes’s poem what do you notice?
“Hokusai says” by Roger Keyes.
Hokusai says look carefully.
He says pay attention, notice.
He says keep looking, stay curious.
He says there is no end to seeing
He says look forward to getting old.
He says keep changing,
you just get more who you really are.
He says get stuck, accept it, repeat
yourself as long as it is interesting.
He says keep doing what you love.
He says keep praying.
He says every one of us is a child,
every one of us is ancient
every one of us has a body.
He says every one of us is frightened.
He says every one of us has to find
a way to live with fear.
He says everything is alive —
shells, buildings, people, fish,
mountains, trees, wood is alive.
Water is alive.
Everything has its own life.
Everything lives inside us.
He says live with the world inside you.
He says it doesn’t matter if you draw,
or write books. It doesn’t matter
if you saw wood or catch fish.
It doesn’t matter if you sit at home
and stare at the ants on your veranda
or the shadows of the trees
and grasses in your garden.
It matters that you care.
It matters that you feel.
It matters that you notice.
It matters that life lives through you.
Contentment is life living through you.
Joy is life living through you.
Satisfaction and strength
is life living through you.
He says don’t be afraid.
Don’t be afraid.
Love, feel, let life take you by the hand.
Let life live through you.
The Great Wave by
Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849).