Chamnongsri Rutnin Hanchanlash
Photo: Art Lashbrook
1.
With the dignified humility
of a master at tea ceremony
the boughs bend in respect
to Silence, who came as
the Banyan’s honored guest.
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2.
The Banyan bestows shade to seekers of coolness.
Not in gratitude to the sun, the rain or to the soil's bounty
but simply as a part of being.
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3.
Have you ever watched a wind-dance
starring sun-flecks pirouetting through
the leaves of an old Banyan?
Well, the choreography is by
a maestro named Transience.
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4.
The deep-rooted Banyan thanks the storms
for its strength and serenity
The gentle Lotus thanks the mud
for its fragrance and purity
The sage is grateful to misfortunes
for his wisdom and humility
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5.
I do marvel at the vitality
and resilience of the wind-lashed Banyans
That lyrical touch of greenness slows the rushing wind
Who knows, their strength may lie in the ancestral line
that rolls further back in time
than the roots of humanity
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6.
When the Banyan and sleep conferred,
they agreed
that it is all the same whether the night
be filled with dreams or be dreamless.
that is –
if the handmaidens who smoothed the beds
were the gentle twins named
Peace and Love.
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7.
Small, green and impermanent
The Banyan leaves
feed and are fed by the boughs and the roots
that are nourished by a soil enriched with small, brown,
impermanent leaves