今朝の落書き

I was walking along a path like a still surface of water
only my footsteps making it tremble a little
I was surrounded by scenery that seemed to have stopped

Even thinking about something difficult
seemed as though it might disturb that surface
might wake the fish sleeping behind the rocks
might startle the birds standing unnoticed
in a landscape that should have been still
and because such worries crossed my mind
I tried simply to be quiet
to be only footsteps, with my mind as empty as possible

Before an empty mind
it seems that everything, without exception
becomes a distracting thought

Light falling without a sound melted the frost
and with that lesson
seemed to travel gently towards me

There is the sound of just one set of footsteps
that alone tells the world I exist
I felt such tenderness for its frailty

A resonance gradually fading from the moment of birth
that presence, making small ripples on the water
seemed so precious to me

Only the gravel path, like a friend who knows me well
stayed beside me and walked at the same pace

Suddenly my nose began to tickle
and I sneezed
then I heard small birds taking flight on the mountain over there

Today, too, I travel into nature
I so often forget that

Empty
too soft even to carry the weight of a distracting thought
I walked on

It was simply wonderful
within that quiet feeling

Thank you for reading again today. When I go into nature, I find myself surprised and delighted by the absence of sound. I listen intently to a beautiful silence. At the same time, I wonder how much sound surrounds and sways us every day. As much as I can, I want to remember the pleasure of being able to hear my own sounds clearly.