Walk in the forest.

Allegorically speaking, it was as if it were a living, breathing thing that was lying in wait for me amongst the green brown shadows of the forest. The silence wrapped itself tightly about me and embraced me with a gentle soothing grasp.
A sharp ear would tell that we were not so far removed from civilization with the tell tale distant noise of traffic moving just beyond the thick curtain of silent trees. There are moments when the stillness grows and even the sounds of the distant city fade beyond our ability to detect them and then the silence becomes tangible and something you can actually hear.

The paths through the trees were illuminated mosaic like with the alternating shade of leaves and sunbeams piercing their gloom to create a splatter of tint and hues that sparkled across our exploration like a dance of fireflies. We found a small, soft, gentle glade, and surrounded as it was by so many trees, it was almost like being at the bottom of a water well, its curvature encircling us. We sat and drank mineral water and let the warmth of the sun play across the parts of our skin almost chilled by the shadowed shade. Goosebumps appeared as a sudden chill descended upon us when the sunlight was temporarily clouded over. A sea of ferns and tall grasses with accompanying bluebells waved in the gentle breeze and I could imagine being in total harmony with Mother Earth. I could also imagine that Hitomi and I were the only two ever to have been here as if we had somehow been swallowed by the eons and we sat comfortably on a prehistoric landscape where the devastation of humans is nothing but a possible future threat. It was quite tempting to allow the sun to shine down on places that sunlight rarely touches.

There are the occasional sounds that no city dweller can ever identify. Some bird or animal calls out and our eyes are lost in attempting to locate it. I am more used to seeing glass and steel, stone and asphalt, neon's and traffic signs. The landscape of metropolitan man makes these green natural panorama's somehow seem unnatural. We could just as easily be casting our eyes across an alien forest on a forgotten world searching out these entities that almost mock us from high up there amid dark branches and small piercing eyes regarding us from the tall grass.

We had driven down the 'tamagawa dori' to Kinuta park where Miss "Say Cheese" with her magical picture box wanted to take some photos of her new favorite wild-life subject and it doesn't take a great stretch of the imagination to guess exactly who that may be. You already know of course that these devices capture the souls of primitive tribesmen and some girls use them to take pictures of ourselves from arms length positions and other strange angles and they simply cover blog and face-book pages with them. I've even heard that some people (hush hush) use them for capturing secret and intimate images that you could never share with your parents.

Somehow it seems important that we leave the concrete jungle and  return to a greener one. Breathe in the surroundings and we can become a part of the landscape from here to the horizon, the experience of 'oneness' is a fascinating moment where everything and nothing can combine. It is almost as if you become a part of the living forest with no distinctive or separate boundary to separate or divide.





Additional: Two messages asking what the lyrics mean in this song prompts me to write out the English translation.

I’m no good, scold me sometimes

Sorry for being such a crybaby…my sadness won’t end

Call me with your heart

Be within…my heart that won’t lie

It starts, Cherry Cherry

The sun has spilled its light, I want to cry now

Come here beside me and bring the love you can’t let go

Chase after love and upset its footsteps!

(That racing love’s footsteps)

I can’t hide my confusion about sincerity

(About lies)

Call me with your heart

Be within…my heart that won’t lie

It starts, Cherry Cherry

The sun has spilled its light, I want to cry now

Come here beside me and bring the love you can’t let go

“I can’t say it…I lie

Yes…because it hurts”

Be within…my heart that won’t lie

It starts with a sigh

Be within…my heart that won’t lie

It starts, Cherry Cherry

Cherry Cherry

The sun has spilled its light, I want to cry now

Come here and bring the love I can’t let go of

The sun has spilled its light, I want to cry now

Come here and bring the love I can’t let go of

Please…come here beside me…

Please…come here beside me…

A cherry in my heart…

A cherry sigh…