Ripples

Insect hovers over the surface of still water

a tentative splash

a remembering

question from another language

lives above water

dusk reflected

traversing expanding circles

under first stars

campfire glow

lapping sh-h-h-h ripples

sweet sleep, slow dream ripples

washing over the edge of consciousness.

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In the traditional Japanese lunisolar calendar, the first of the six spring seasons begins on February 4th and runs through February 18th. It is called the beginning of Spring- risshun (立春) and is composed of three micro-seasons. The final micro-season of risshun named Fish Emerge From the Ice-uo kōri o izuru (魚上氷) takes place from February 14–18.

Many of you have expressed interest in this calendar, so I have included a brief history.

In 1684 Shibukawa Shunkai updated and expanded the lunisolar calendar introduced to Japan from China between 533CE and 859CE. He recognized the solar year as 365.2417 days.

Shibukawa also further divided each of the existing 24 seasons into three micro-seasons, establishing 72 five to six-day periods that corresponded more exactly to natural seasonal events in Japan. This calendar, named Jōkyō-reki, was officially observed until 1755.

Between 1755 and 1872, the calendar received three updates. Japan adopted the Western Gregorian calendar observed by most nations in 1872.

Sources:

Season Words

Nippon.com

Wikipedia Articles: Xuanming Calendar, Shibukawa Shunkai, Sexagenary Cycle

Japanesewiki- Jokyoreki (this original link no longer exists) and Horyakureki

Thank you for joining me on my travels through a micro-season year of poetry. I invite you to read other poems in the series found in my list Micro-Season Poem Cycle here with a Medium Subscription. Ripples was first published in Scribe on Medium by Thomas Gaudex.

And you can listen to me read the poem on SoundCloud.

Natalie