Vision Fantastique

I sit beneath the empress tree facing east

where you pledged your love

plucking the strings of the koto,

desultory notes meandering,

rising with the sweet, flowery scent of purple,

weaving themselves into the glittering sands of the celestial star road.

The tune becomes mournful.

~

Where have you gone?

My dowry box has been ready all these many years

now, the seed heads bend toward the sound of my song

resonating as to a lover

and shake their dew onto silver strands of hair

as a phoenix springs aloft

winging its golden way toward the west,

hoping to find you in the setting sun.

~

When will you come?

My dowry box has been ready all these many years

and the tree has become a forest.

_______________________

The final season of summer in the Japanese lunisolar calendar is called taisho 大暑 Greater Heat. Taisho runs from July 23rd- August 7th. The first of its three micro-seasons refers to the Paulownia (Paulownia tomentosa) also called empress tree or princess tree, a tree similar to the catalpa trees of the northeastern United States.

Paulownia is a fast-growing hardwood tree. Its wood is used in furniture and instruments, particularly the koto, a traditional Japanese plucked string instrument. At the birth of a daughter, a paulonia tree was often planted. The tree grew fast enough that a woman’s dowry chest could be fashioned of the wood when she attained marriageable age.

Fantastique is a French term relating to a film and story genre in which the supernatural or fantastical occurs within ordinary circumstances during the course of the story. It is said that a phoenix can only alight on a paulownia tree!

As always, thank you for reading my work. If you enjoyed this poem, more of my yearlong exploration of the 72 micro-seasons can be found in my list Micro-Season Poem Cycle here with a Medium subscription. Some are also available to read here on Vocal Media. This poem was originally published on Medium in the publication Scribe, by editor Thomas Gaudex on August 7, 2024.

Natalie