Indigo Gate

I begin a rise above marshes;

a canopy of gray darkens to indigo,

sky thickened with ashen quilt

of smoke from incense burning.

Sea’s indigo depths broken

only with white wavelets,

lotuses against kimono blue.

Climb hill in solitude and silence,

park deserted on this solemn, peaceful day.

Suddenly, two large drops of sunlight

weave and bob in meadow,

diving in and out of grasses

lined with lacy weed and

rotund hips of wild rose.

A pair of goldfinches feed in field;

a slight squabble over seed

sends them into a whirl of wings,

swirl of melted butter.

I pass under the arch

of a gate to sacred space

where separations blur

and, like a primitive or a child,

I am lost in the moment

of this delight.

Lainie Senechal

 First published in Dasoku, Kaji Aso Institute for the Arts, Spring 2001

Watercolor based on photo by Nancy Smith, nature photographer and fellow birder.