Ed Baker

Better than Flowers

One spring the haiku poet Basho decided to take a trip to see the flowers in a certain place famed for its scenery. Along the way he heard of a poor peasant girl noted for devotion to her parents. Intrigued, Basho went looking for the girl. When he found her, he gave her all the money he had brought for his travel expenses. Then he returned home, without having seen the flowers.

He said, "This year I have seen something better than flowers."

Wild Orchid
just so just so
will I see you again?

passage "Better Than Flowers" from 'Zen Antics' trans. Th. Cleary, Shambala,1993 page 17.