A photograph and poem by Ian Ropke:
Miyako in the Mist
mist rising from my eyes
and I know there’s more
as when I see mists
twisting across the slopes way above Ginkakuji
drifting in a haunted motion between the red pines
and I imagine brontosaurus feeding calmly in the dawn
mists beckoning from a mile away
you capture me as easily
as when I am having breakfast
at the Miyako Hotel in the rainy season
and I slowly forget the luxury and the servants
as I’m caught up in the ineffable magic that is Kyoto
mists in the distance
moving towards heaven
I followed a mist dragon years ago
in the steep mountain folds beyond Arashiyama
moving south with the grace of 10,000 years
towards the rising dawn of a perfect May morning
mist in my eyes
when I feel too much inside
mist from the hazy abandon of your careless youth
rising from silent ponds, mingling with the deer’s screaming call
piercing the Heian dawn and electrifying the few hopeful sleepers
that still long for magic with one open ear.
Ian Ropke is the author of the Historical Dictionary of Osaka and Kyoto
Related Articles:
The Enchanted City
Introducing Ian Ropke
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