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