No Late Cherry Blossoms – May 22, 2015

Posted on May 22, 2015 by Georgia

withered apricot blooms

Padua’s late spring
apricot blossoms have withered
the cherry bears fruit

sit under the persimmon
white blossoms fall in your tea

this tanka was inspired by the following “renga”

Takekuma’s
pine shows him
late cherries

since the cherry blossoms
I’ve waited three months to see
the twin-trunk pine

As Basho left on his journey into the deep north many friends gave him gifts. His friend and disciple Kyohaku gifted him this haiku (above) … Takekuma is a place famous for its twin-trunk pine and late-blooming cherry trees. We see that Basho arrives late to visit Takekuma, he enjoyed seeing the tree perhaps, but the cherry blossoms were long gone.

These brought to mind my recent voyage to Padua … the cherries are now bearing their first fruit … and as I sat in the morning under my son’s persimmon tree its fat blossoms kept falling on the table placed under the tree for shade. The tree in the photograph is an apricot tree – when I was there is March it was full of white blossoms!

Inspired by Carpe Diem Haiku Kai – “since the cherry blossoms”

41 thoughts on “No Late Cherry Blossoms – May 22, 2015”

Oliana on May 22, 2015 at 06:34 said:

How lovely, wish I could share a cuppa with you:)

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- Bastet on May 22, 2015 at 13:56 said:
  
  Me too .. but I don’t think anyone is under the tree today .. cold weather has crossed the Alps bringing us cold weather and rain … it snowed on some of the mountains above our valley!
  
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  - Oliana on May 22, 2015 at 19:44 said:
    
    It is cooler (8C) this week as well..I just worry about the winds and rain off and on that will destroy the apple blossoms…this is the peek of apple orchards this week. But the cooler temps are just fine for me.
    
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    - Bastet on May 23, 2015 at 05:48 said:
      
      We’ve been having the same winds and rain … it’s fascinating to think that in far away Canada, you too worry about the apple blossoms!
      
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      - Oliana on May 23, 2015 at 08:27 said:
        
        I’m surrounded by so many I wish we had cherry trees though
        
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      - Bastet on May 23, 2015 at 08:28 said:
        
        Same here. We have very few cherry trees … but fields and fields of apples trees … one of the main products of our region you know.
        
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      - Oliana on May 23, 2015 at 08:43 said:
        
        No! I did not know that. It is here too in le Monterigie which is where my family and I live
        
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      - Bastet on May 23, 2015 at 10:25 said:
        
        Geez … how is it that we have so very much in common … it’s strange when you reflect on it!
        
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      - Oliana on May 23, 2015 at 19:46 said:
        
        I have friends whose in-laws moved here from Northern Italy and settled in a small town where I worked years ago near the many apple orchards I write about. I always wondered why they moved to such a small town outside of Montreal. Maybe it felt more like home. Their mother would pick dandelions in the fields and that was the first time we heard of it being edible.
        
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      - Bastet on May 24, 2015 at 06:05 said:
        
        You might be right, it would be interesting to know from what area of Northern Italy they came from. Most of Italy is urban … outside of places up in the hills and mountains, which are progressively being abandoned. The first fresh leaves of the dandelion are really very nice to eat in salad we call it rucola which google translates as “rocket” for some reason. The flowers can be turned into a kind of wine.
        
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      - Oliana on May 24, 2015 at 07:24 said:
        
        My father made dandelion wine and when my mother was in labour at her parents’ home, GrandPapa took my dad into the basement to sample his wine while waiting 😉
        
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      - Bastet on May 24, 2015 at 08:28 said:
        
        Ah … calming the old nerves with dandelion wine … I’ve never tasted it but read about it in a Bradbury story once.
        
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      - Oliana on May 24, 2015 at 09:01 said:
        
        It is not an appetizing word in French however, Pissenlit…too bad here we don’t say dent-de-lion instead.
        
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      - Bastet on May 24, 2015 at 09:11 said:
        
        cool … pisciare nel letto! I wonder why!
        
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      - Oliana on May 24, 2015 at 09:11 said:
        
        haha!!
        
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      - Bastet on May 24, 2015 at 09:12 said:
        
        😉
        
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the dune mouse on May 22, 2015 at 06:36 said:

a wonderful cup of tea and blossoms!

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- Bastet on May 22, 2015 at 13:57 said:
  
  Thanks Cybele glad you liked the ku … and believe me I kept expecting the darn things to fall into my breakfast tea! 😀
  
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  - the dune mouse on May 22, 2015 at 17:24 said:
    
    😀
    
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Jen on May 22, 2015 at 07:00 said:

May I accept the invitation? 🙂
Nicely done! 🙂

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- Bastet on May 22, 2015 at 13:58 said:
  
  I’ll make the tea myself and an apple strudel as well! 🙂
  
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  - Jen on May 23, 2015 at 03:04 said:
    
    Sounds awesome!
    
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    - Bastet on May 23, 2015 at 05:50 said:
      
      🙂 any time you’re ready!
      
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      - Jen on May 23, 2015 at 10:09 said:
        
        😀
        
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Forest Tinker on May 22, 2015 at 07:08 said:

Your renga makes me think of the beautiful apricot blossoms of Iran..

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- Bastet on May 22, 2015 at 14:00 said:
  
  That must have been absolutely lovely.
  
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The Muscleheaded Blog on May 22, 2015 at 10:21 said:

Flower petals in my tea 🙂

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- Bastet on May 22, 2015 at 14:32 said:
  
  Bergamot (Earl Grey Tea), roes petals or Jasmine is fine by me … but persimmon blossoms are a bit disconcerting no?
  
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  - The Muscleheaded Blog on May 23, 2015 at 07:09 said:
    
    Hmm… I’ve never seen persimmon blossoms, so I dunno exactly, but it’s an appealing mental picture, anyway. 😀
    
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    - Bastet on May 23, 2015 at 07:17 said:
      
      They’re kinda like fat little white marshmallow shaped blossoms … something you’d rather find in certain breakfast cereals rather than your tea I think.
      
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      - The Muscleheaded Blog on May 23, 2015 at 07:32 said:
        
        😀 Well, that certainly changes the visual, I think.. 😀
        ‘Lucky Charms’ in my tea? Naaaaaah….
        
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      - Bastet on May 23, 2015 at 08:16 said:
        
        Exactly! Bravo! I wasn’t sure if Lucky Charms existed any more, but the idea of that stuff in my tea is rather revolting. 😉
        
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      - The Muscleheaded Blog on May 23, 2015 at 08:34 said:
        
        😀 Yeah, that little leprechaun is still doing TV commercials to my knowledge. 😀 LOL
        
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      - Bastet on May 23, 2015 at 10:24 said:
        
        LOL … shade of my childhood come back to haunt me! 😀
        
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      - The Muscleheaded Blog on May 26, 2015 at 06:36 said:
        
        😀 I always hated that little character… he makes me nervous. 😀
        
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      - Bastet on May 26, 2015 at 08:01 said:
        
        Don’t you think that down-under he has a rather wicked smile?
        
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      - The Muscleheaded Blog on May 26, 2015 at 08:18 said:
        
        Oh yeah, he does — it’s the kinda smile that tells ya that he’s planning on walling you up in the secret cave at the end of the rainbow…..
        
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Mark M. Redfearn on May 22, 2015 at 15:32 said:

A blossom in my teacup—how perfect!

Cherry Blossoms

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- Bastet on May 23, 2015 at 05:46 said:
  
  🙂 glad you like the haiku!
  
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moondustwriter on May 23, 2015 at 19:34 said:

A lovely setting to imagine as I drink my morning tea…
Thanks for sharing

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- Bastet on May 24, 2015 at 06:00 said:
  
  Very very welcome!
  
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