Skyline’s Ikebana teacher shares the thoughts of the cherry tree
Double cherry blossoms
flutter in the wind,
one petal after another.
Shiki
As the years pass and we grow older,
we realize that no moment repeats itself.
They are all unique.
Sofu Teshigahara
Happy Springtime to all!
Equinox—that moment of perfect balance
between two polar opposites.
Light and Dark, Fire and Ice, Bitter and Sweet.
Let us celebrate with listening
to the words of a master.
CHERRY
I can be so sweet,
I can be so bitter.
I am Cherry.
While I provided the elixir that gave the Greek deities their immortality, I also provide a bed of blossoms for the magic Phoenix of China to sleep on, ensuring the continuous flow of its vibrant energy. In the Isles of Japan, I am called Sakura. Springtime festivals are held far and wide for simply viewing my blooming splendor in quiet contemplation of life’s many precious moments as my petals begin to fall.
A world of grief and pain,
even when cherry blossoms
have bloomed.
Issa
While my natural habitat spreads far and wide around the globe, I am a tree that often grows alone among other forest inhabitants. The peoples of the North Country, finding me in blossom in their wanderings through the woods, consider it to be a welcome and auspicious omen for the coming year. While my wood is tightly grained and sturdy, I provide magic walking sticks for Scottish Highlanders that prevent them from getting lost in the mist.
Mother shake the cherry tree,
Susan catch a cherry.
Oh how fun that will be,
let’s be merry!
One for brother, one for sister,
two for mother more,
six for father, hot and tired,
knocking at the door.
Christina Rosetti
The name cherry is derived from French cerise, Spanish cereza. My fruit has been a favorite of Homo Sapiens from time immemorial, as cherry pits have been found scattered in dwellings dating from the Bronze Age. It was in Asia Minor where humans first began cultivating me, while I made my way to Rome with returning general Lucius Licinus Lucullus in 72 BC. I gradually traveled from there northwards, introduced to England by Henry VIII who tasted me on a visit to Flanders. And then in the early 1600s, the Dutch made me a home in Brooklyn, NY, on the site of the former colony “New Netherland“. Heading out west from there, I was warmly welcomed in both Michigan and Wisconsin and then on to the West Coast, in California, Oregon and Washington.
I am of the large family, Prunus. Of its 1000 plus species, just a few have given birth to the various varieties of modern commercial cherries. The two main parents are Prunus Avium, Latin “of the birds”. I provide tasty sweet treats for my feathered friends while they in turn help me with propagation. The other parent is Prunus Cerasus. Bitter fruit, sour to the taste. This is the cherry responsible for cherry pies and Cherries Jubilee. Need I say more about that!
And then there’s my wood, especially my characteristic burls, highly prized for its hues and colors, great for turning, to craft vessels and bowls and bagpipes, too. Oh, and my resin. Great chewing gum, kids love it.
I gave my love a cherry, that has no stone.
How can there be a cherry, that has no stone?
A cherry when it’s bloomin’, it has no stone.
Appalachian Folk Song
I can be so sweet! Just ask the Celtic sweethearts pledging themselves to each other as they each sip from the quaich, the ritual wedding cup carved from my magic wood. And I can be so bitter. Just ask the orchardist who lies awake in the wee hours of a springtime morning, praying to the frost gods to please hold off for just a few more nights. Just a short hour’s icy kiss can spell sudden doom for the year’s entire crop. Bitter indeed. But then, such is life’s journey, is it not? The bitter and the sweet. Let us close my story with where we began. Gazing at my lovely pink blossoms, astounded by their pristine beauty, then seeing them begin to fall, one by one. . .reminding us of the need to savor ever more deeply life’s many precious moments.
I can be so sweet,
I can be so bitter.
I am Cherry.
Be safe. Be well.
See you in April!
Charles