yuzuriha no toki
The house I lived in since elementary school had to be torn down for a new apartment building.
The original land was filled with many large trees still remaining.
Now most of those trees must be cut down to make space for construction of a condominium.
The garden my mother so fondly took care is all but gone.
A priest performs a ceremony prior to the felling the trees.
Only the priest’s words and the sounds of birds echo silently within the garden.
For a moment, the sun streams through the clouds.
I look up at the majestic chinquapin trees that will be torn down in the weeks to come.
My heart murmurs a gentle expression of gratitude.
If there are souls dwelling within trees and plants,
I wonder where those spirits go after the trees and flowers are gone.
I have always felt a strong sense of energy from plants, bringing together time and existence.
Do they disappear completely in only a moment?
Now my hope is through this exhibition to express the time spent together
along with the presence and vitality of those plants are no longer in existence.
Naomi Shigeta
