A L O H A From
H O N O L U L U
During BON dance season
on Summer nights
we dance with our loved ones who
have passed.
During BON season -
they are near. There are many stories
of dead loved one's being glimpsed among the dancers, or making themselves known
in other ways.
Beneath soft lanterns’
amber glow,
Ancient steps
In circles flow.
Around the tower’s
wooden frame,
Musicians breath
Old songs into flame.
The shamisen
A gentle cry,
The taiko’s pulse
Touching the sky.
Neighbors weave
In twilight’s dance,
Sacred across
The timeless expanse.
Hands and feet in
Tradition's grace,
Echoing stories
Time can’t erase.
Here in aloha’s
Warm embrace,
Cultures blend
As hearts enlace.
Each year the bon dance
Calls us home
Living thread joined
To family spirits who roam.
Binding past
To present Here
With love that lingers,
Bright and clear.
Cloudia Charters
As you pile up the Summers, there probably are more and more of your friends and family who have gone to join the ancestors.
There is some comfort,
and more than a tint
of immortality, in
dancing with them.
Maybe they will
catch our eye
momentarily in the frenzy.
Maybe it's just some
resemblance or living memory
that we see in the
colored light - maybe not. . .
I felt it shelter
to speak to you.
Emily Dickinson
to speak to you.
Emily Dickinson
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13 comments:
This is such an awesome post! Thanks for sharing all the bon dance pictures and explaining the meaning of the ceremony with your poem. Pixie looks ready to dance with the spirits, too.
❤️๐
...BON dance season is new to me, thanks.
What a wonderful dance, with deep meaning to some. Loved the video especially the women in kimonos. Thanks for sharing.
Quite a tradition.
New to me too, Cloudia. ;-)
Thanks for teaching me about something I didn't know.
I had not heard of the Bon Dance before, Cloudia. What a unique and touching tradition!
That mural matches very nicely with the rest of your blog. And that rest is very interesting.
I like seeing the happy faces on the dancers.
Pixie looks sweet. Great mural.
Happy September, Enjoy your day and the week ahead.
I really liked both of the first two photos.
What a great photography showing the cultural event
Every one seems to be having fun dancing. Lovely mural, thanks for participating in Monday Murals Cloudia.
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