Paul Mercken

Suikinkutsu

A very soft sound accompanies the Kashmir yoga session of this morning, as of drops of water, irregularly falling, sometimes quickly in succession, sometimes in scattered solo bits, an ikebana of monotonous music notes. They enhance the yoga atmosphere and I am curious how they are produced. They appear to be a leaky gutter.

summer afternoon –
I only hear the silence
when the cuckoo stops

Notes:

A suikinkutsu (literally "water koto cave") is a type of Japanese garden ornament and music device.

Ikebana ("living flowers") is the Japanese art of flower arrangement, also known as kadō (the "way of flowers").