Thursday, June 18, 2009

Rain in the Garden




My personal philosophy is simple: when in doubt, follow your feet. So last Friday, despite the rain, my feet led me to the Montreal Botanical Garden to meet writer Channah Magori. Channah is fairly new to the city, having lived much of her life in Israel. She writes poetry and is at work on a novel. She also works with disabled children and is currently enrolled in a programme to become a poetry therapist.


The forecast was for rain Friday morning, which didn't put me off--afterall, I was born in Vanouver--but I thought that perhaps Channah would choose to cancel. I was thrilled when she emailed me back to say that she thought gardens in the rain were beautiful and that she was looking forward to our writing session together.

We decided to meet in the Dream Lake Garden, an authentic Chinese garden inspired by the private gardens popular in the southern Yangzi River region during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The Green Shade Pavilion, perched on top of a small hill, would provide us with a dry place to write no matter how heavy the rain. I arrived early and sat at the pavilion's small stone table with its barrel-shaped seats. Here is the view from the hilltop.





Depite the rain, gardeners were hard at work.



gray morning--
gardeners
in yellow rainslickers



Since I'm reading Milton these days, this tanka came to mind.


when paradise
seems lost--
a gardener
pushing his wheelbarrow
in the rain

*

It doesn't happen often, but today I was in a mood to write both haiku and tanka.


mist in the trees--
the garden
fragrant with rain


*


breeze
through the pavilion
rippling puddles
not enough
to ruffle me


*


cleansing rain--
how often
I've given myself to it




*

the elegant
horizontal branches
of a ginkgo--
another tightrope walker
balancing in the wind


*

Channah arrived and although we had never met in person, with only a few words of greeting we settled down to writing side by side at the table.


writing--
our words compete
with the waterfall


*

The rain began to lessen and eventually stopped. When the sun came out, the garden was spectacular with the leaves a rich and vibrant green.


sun gleaming
on wet leaves
not much warmth
but the light,
oh, the light is beautiful!


*

purple irises
at the bottom
of the hill--
above the turquoise lake
my sun-splashed thoughts

*

Not only were the colours in the garden so much richer after the rain, but my ears were treated to a symphony of birdsong.

sun after rain
in the garden
exploding
among the trees
songs of happiness


*

I'm glad that I came this morning and even more pleased to have met a rainy-day garden friend, who I hope will join me many more times during the summer. Below is a photo of Channah followed by the lovely gift of a haiku that she sent me the next day.





Two sides of a leaf
One red, and the other green
Let the wind decide!

Channah Magori













Friday, June 12, 2009

The Secret Garden

I've been waiting impatiently over the past few weeks for the rhododendrons in the Lesley Hancock Garden to reach their peak. This garden has been nicknamed The Secret Garden, because it is hidden beneath the trees and if you don't know that it's there, you could walk right past this small patch of splendor under the oaks.



Robert Bilinski, Montreal mathematician/poet, joined me this week. I asked him about his rather unusual combination of disciplines--he is a mathematics professor at College Montmorency and has been writing poetry since the age of twelve. To him, though, the two go naturally together and he finds that the aims of both are the same: to describe the world and to say the most in the least number of words, to look at structures and find the links between them, to tackle complexity and find the key to unlock it, and to uncover the difference between truth and falsehood. I have to admit that I've never looked at mathematics and poetry in quite this light and Robert is certainly a passionate and articulate spokesman for both.



Robert and I met for our early morning writing session among the rhododendrons. Robert decided to write haiku and I focussed on tanka. Historically in Japan, haiku tended to be written by men while tanka with its strong appeal to the emotions was often the preserve of female poets. Here is our poetic exchange interspersed with some photos from this beautiful garden.
**
under the balsams
my body surprises me
lungs binging on air
Robert Bilinski

breathing in deeply
the moist marsh air--
pure physicality
after all those
too cerebral men
Angela Leuck




late night outing
early trip to the garden
relaxing my jaw
Robert Bilinski


the soft spongy paths
of the marsh garden—
birds with their mating calls
sending messages
among the trees
Angela Leuck


**

branches puffing out
not quite like a puzzle
appeasing the eye
Robert Bilinski


rhododendrons
deep rust, pink
yellow and white—
fearing intoxication
I don't sit beside him
Angela Leuck

**

branches to be shred
the saw still on the ground
metal mouth ajar
Robert Bilinski


watching the light
shift on the ferns—
one minute he’s happy
the next he’s grumbling
my teenage son
Angela Leuck





**
shredded cadaver
spread out on a flower bed
the blooms will survive
Robert Bilinski


they don’t believe
less is more
these rhododendrons—
too often
I'm stingy with praise
Angela Leuck


**

fixating on moss
eyes starting to glaze
free entertainment!
Robert Bilinski


bright splashes of colour
of the rhododendrons--
damp grassy paths
leading in and out
of paradise
Angela Leuck

**

in a dark clearing
luminaries under firs
under the skylight
Robert Bilinski


young couples
walking slowly
among the rhododendrons
some flowers are best
enjoyed together
Angela Leuck

**



damn that darn mower
returning on his rounds
R.I.P.ing nature’s scat
Robert Bilinski


oak leaves above me
then clouds—
a tiny snap
brings me back
to the dark forest floor
Angela Leuck


**

drooping circulars
a tree’s leaves invading
modern man’s alley
Robert Bilinski


a canopy
of oak leaves
above my bench—
long since I’ve looked
to a man for shelter
Angela Leuck


**

ferns like little pets
giving comfort, giving hand
to an empty bench
Robert Bilinski


among the rhododendrons
I’m taking up
this secluded bench
where lovers
might sit
Angela Leuck



**

white puff lines on blue
that was his favourite spot
only traces remain
Robert Bilinski


in the garden
at sundown
the orange rhododendrons
keeping me
from my dinner
Angela Leuck
**

**
Robert tells me that he enjoyed our garden writing experience and will meet me another time in the garden. Until then, if you're interested in finding out more about Robert's creative work, you can read his article on mathematics and dance online at:
Part 1 : http://www.marthiii.com/Marthi_mag/2007-07-jui/marthi_mag_conceptuel.htm
Part 2 : http://www.marthiii.com/Marthi_mag/2007-08-aout/marthi_mag_conceptuel.htm
Part 3 : http://www.marthiii.com/Marthi_mag/2007-09-sept/marthi_mag_conceptuel.htm























Monday, June 8, 2009

Days of the Irises

It's definitely the days of the irises. They are everywhere, bringing their big, lustrous beauty to even the most unassuming of yards in my neighbourhood here in Verdun. At the botanical garden, they bring a taste of royal pagentry. On this visit I stayed mainly in the Flowery Brook area where there is an exceptional selection of different iris varieties.



Although the name "iris" comes from the Latin word for "rainbow," for me the flower has a bit of a military symbolism because of the sharp pointed leaves. But maybe I'm thinking of this for other reasons.

from head to toe
in green camouflage
the miliary man
I glimpsed this morning
on the way to the garden


Mongolian Iris
I wonder
is that soldier
bound
for Afghanistan?

white-tipped
like the Himalayas
King's Spear--
wherever I go
that soldier's on my mind

Here is a photo of irises with the flower called King's Spear in the foreground.


I also remarked on the juxtaposition of another plant and irises:

meadow rue
beside purple irises--
with love
there's always the need
for caution

I admired this iris variety:

ghosts of Hamlet
and poor flower-mad
Ophelia--
yellow bearded irises
called Elsinore

From Ophelia to the Madonna:

Moonlight Madonna
bearded iris--
another tribute
to the virgin mother,
the crucified woman

The term "bearded" refers to the line of soft hairs on the middle of an iris's three drooping petals.

the velvety fur
of the iris's
three outer petals--
who isn't taken in
by softness
*


it's not so much
the irises
that are beautiful
as the morning light
they're bathed in




the earth is finished
says my science-minded friend
in despair--
take my hand, I tell him,
we'll be fireflies at dusk

*
Of course, the other great symbol that irises evoke are of brushes dipped in deep blue ink.
*
iris buds
dipped in blue ink--
I'll paint
an unspoken love poem
on his chest as he sleeps
*
*
How splendid these days of the irises.