I would live in that sort of space <br />if would were could. <br /> <br />Instead, I take off my shoes at the door, <br />feel my bare toes on the polished woodwork, <br /> <br />settle into the chair, take out <br />the big square book entitled ‘Japanese Style’, <br />and with the contented sigh of one <br />who knows that solitude is <br />a status symbol in Japan, <br /> <br />give the body a rest, while the mind, <br />with its clever skills, no sweat, <br />as into a loose cotton robe, <br />feeling the air against the skin, <br />slips easily into two dimensions <br />contemplating three-dimensional space; <br />lives in these mindful geometries, <br />and feels a million yen; <br /> <br />goes to bed refreshed, <br />wondering whether waking up <br />a Japanese would be acceptable. <br /> <br />Maybe I’ll write a poem, <br /> <br />‘This quiet Spring evening <br />I sit in solitude <br />and love the unseen passers-by’ <br /> <br />and take it to the calligrapher’s shop, <br />hang it outside the front door <br />for no-one to read <br />but all to see - <br /> <br />for in solitude, all is possible.<br /><br />Michael Shepherd<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-rich-interior-life-with-style/
