Kôbun Yoshimura (Japanese, 1793-1863). Tortoise Has New Year’s Dream of Crane and Pine, 1854.
Pining Crane
Turtle dreamt of journeying. With sure steps Turtle began trudging along an uncertain path. Borne of Earth, yet bearing thirteen moons full upon her back, Turtle bore her journey with patience and faith.
After many cycles of many moons, Turtle was far from where her journey had begun. In the shelter of wise Pine, Turtle curled up to rest. Then Turtle awakened, transformed, as if again emerging from a shell.
As Crane, Turtle stretched feathered wings, stood tall upon two long legs, danced a dance of timelessness; as Crane, flew high over Pine, lucidly, all past illusions clearly visible.
My 99 words for the Carrot Ranch May 10, 2018, prompt: write a story defining “the charisma of cranes.” For centuries, cranes have inspired art and philosophy. You can write a crane story or create something new out of the phrase. Go where the prompt leads.
What a lovely mystical and mythical story. Well done.
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Thanks Norah. It’s a crazy week, but this I managed. Thanks for coming by.
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It’s a more than good manage. It’s superb.
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Elegant phrasing of the mythology of Turtle and Crane!
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Thanks, but liberties were taken. I kinda mushed Native American ideas in with Eastern ideas… I saw that picture and that hatched this. Still, no ‘egrets.
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D., I enjoy the mythology of this tale and the plodding pace that calls us to quietly contemplate the journey of a turtle destined to be a crane.
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Yeah, I get the feeling that Turtle is wicked old; like fifty or something.
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Ha, ha! THAT’S OLD (squeaked Young Mouse).
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Nice to see you over at Pure Haiku…
I still haven’t caught up with all the reading at the Ranch.
It can get overwhelming at times…
I like this gentle story of reincarnation and transformation.
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Hey there! Glad you like it. Yeah, I haven’t made the ranch rounds this week. Wicked busy in real life. I even forgot that today is my day at Freya’s. Thanks for coming by here and there (Pure Haiku).
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Just got in from mowing the front lawn between rain storms…(after grocery shopping for the week) so I know how that goes – being busy.
Never mind this (last) week… today is a new prompt at the ranch… I think I have a mini mash in mind. But it will have to wait until sometime tomorrow. Oy!
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