Ken Arnold plays the shakuhachi, Japanese bamboo flute, at Rilassi
Short poetic forms adapted from Japanese culture are perfect for our twitter age and can teach writers the value of condensation and brevity. They need not be frantic sound bites but instead can heal us with moments of lyrical beauty. When combined with spare and haunting music, we can be transported to a place of peace.
Portland writers Ken Arnold and Margaret Chula did just that for a small but enraptured crowd at Rilassi Coffee House in South Waterfront at the Buzzaroonie reading series (www.buzzaroonie.com ) on July 2. Ken also played the shakuhachi, a traditional Japanese bamboo flute, which he has been studying for a number of years. The music was very calming solo and deeply moving when combined with Chula's haiku.
Frazzled from traffic and moaning in Portland's heat wave, we entered the cool and lovely Rilassi space (don't miss the Renaissance-like painting on the ceiling!) and were instantly transported to a contemplative state by bamboo flute and short lyrical moments such as this:
summer solstice
skinnydipping in the river
jingle of bracelets
(by Margaret Chula)
Portland writer Margaret Chula reads at Rilassi
To keep up with this monthly South Waterfront reading series, visit the booklovers' website www.buzzaroonie.com and join for free.
For information on Ken Arnold's latest book "Circle of the Way" (about Zen healing) visit www.kenarnoldbooks.com.
For information on Margaret Chula's books of haiku (3-line form) and tanka (5-line form), including "Grinding My Ink" and "The Smell of Rust," contact Katsura Press, P.O. Box 275, Lake Oswego, OR 97034 or via email: daruma@aracnet.com.
Photos by Roger Tobin, 2009.
Comments