Wabi-sabi: Honoring transience

The foamy sea
Salt on me
Foam on me
Salt in the sea.

Azure sky
Seagulls high
And I’m high
And seagulls fly.

My legs in sand
White flour on land
My legs on land
White flour is sand.

Breeze hits skin
World’s on a spin
And then I spin
When wind hits skin.

Nature’s flow
Life’s on a go,
Don’t let it go
Become the flow.

~

Japanese life philosophies keep blowing me away. Their very essence of simplicity and positivity fills me with awe. I wrote this piece keeping in mind the great philosophy of Wabi-Sabi :

“Wabi-sabi is an intuitive appreciation of a transient beauty in the physical world that reflects the irreversible flow of life in the spiritual world. It is an understated beauty that exists in the modest, rustic, imperfect, or even decayed, an aesthetic sensibility that finds a melancholic beauty in the impermanence of all things.”

-Andrew Juniper

Because of the philosophy’s focus on transience, asymmetry, and imperfection, I took up an eccentric rhythm for the piece, that reads in a certain quick cadence, much like some moments in life. As I read the poem aloud, I frequently felt the need to add weight to it. To make it less volatile. But one thing I take away from the philosophy is a very simple fact:

Beauty is imperfect. Beauty is impermanent. And beauty is incomplete.

47 Comments Add yours

  1. Magnifique !
    I like your prose … it’s a beautiful style of writing !
    Have a good afternoon !

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Shanyu says:

      Merci.
      Thank you so much friend. Your words are wonderful. I am warmed by them. Thank you so much. Have a fantastic day.

      Liked by 2 people

  2. myfanwy80 says:

    Absolutely Magical this work of yours
    Thank you for this journey through your prose and poetry also so grateful 🙏

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Shanyu says:

      Thank you so very much dear friend. I am so glad you like this piece. Have a fantastic day. Stay safe.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. myfanwy80 says:

        My pleasure take care of you

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Shanyu says:

        Likewise.

        Like

  3. ybrwrites says:

    well written ..YBR

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Shanyu says:

      Thank you so much dear friend

      Like

  4. Filarance says:

    Amazingly writing..!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Shanyu says:

      Thank you so much friend. G’day

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Filarance says:

        Most welcome friend..!

        Liked by 1 person

  5. HappySoul says:

    Loved this poem. So well crafted 😊

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Shanyu says:

      Thank you so very much. I means a lot.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Hill Study Center says:

    You write so well.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Shanyu says:

      I do try:) Thank you so much friend. Means a lot.

      Liked by 1 person

  7. Secrets says:

    Shanyu, I really love the rhyming scheme you have used in this piece. The images are also beautifully expressed.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Shanyu says:

      Wow. Thank you so very much S! Your words are very kind. Have a fantastic day.

      Liked by 2 people

  8. Polski Ryś says:

    Amazing!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Shanyu says:

      Thank you so very much P!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Polski Ryś says:

        You’re so welcome!

        Like

  9. vintageblack says:

    simply beautiful and beautifully simple

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Shanyu says:

      Why thank you so much my dearest friend :)))

      Liked by 1 person

  10. This is beautiful my dear friend. The ending says it all “Become the flow.” Bravo.
    sending hugs and plenty of love.
    xoxo

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Shanyu says:

      Wow. Thank you so very much Gabriela. It means a lot.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. My pleasure. Sorry I am so late here.🌸🥰🌹❤️

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Shanyu says:

        Its not an issue at all! We all are busy sometimes.

        Like

  11. henhouselady says:

    I loved the simple rhythm of this poem. It reminded me of the sea. I would love to be there with the sun and the sand and the water.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Shanyu says:

      Thank you so much M! Those are some really kind words. It means a lot. Thank you so much.

      Liked by 1 person

  12. anitaannabel says:

    You have a unique style of writing. You’re amazing👍👍

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Shanyu says:

      Wow. That means a lot Anabel. Thank you so very much. Have a fantastic day

      Like

      1. anitaannabel says:

        You’re welcome🤗💖

        Like

  13. ybrwrites says:

    well written…..YBR

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Shanyu says:

      Thank you so very much YBR. Have a fantastic day.

      Liked by 1 person

  14. Such a lovely one..!💟

    Like

  15. Pretty magical. Love the “flow”and rhythm of this. Would be excellent to hear read aloud!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Shanyu says:

      Thank you so much man. Very grateful.

      Like

  16. Beaches are such a great place to study the beauty of transience. The form of your poem works wonderfully for catching that ebb and flow feel too!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Shanyu says:

      Yes, they are. Thank you so much my friend. Your words are truly phenomenal. Sorry to only reply now. Have a fantastic day.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Shanyu says:

      Thank you so much t

      Liked by 1 person

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s