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Wim
Wenders
Pictures from the Surface of the Earth
The "Picture Haiku's"
1.
"Ganjin" was the monk
who brought Zen Buddhism over to Japan
from the Chinese mainland,
and taught the Emperor and his family.
He founded the Toshodaiji monastery
in the eighth Century,
1200 years ago.
Ganjin was blind.
This small statue was made by his disciples,
shortly before his death.
Its face was not depicting a man with closed eyes,
but, indeed, a blind man!
2.
Dozens of mosquitoes
were descending on me
while I tried to hold my camera still.
I just hoped
they wouldn't land on the lens.
3.
I did not put the red leaf there.
I don't know
what the inscription says.
I found the rock
in the thicket
of one of the gardens
of the Toshodaiji Temple.
4.
I did take a picture
of the small temple
and the urn under its roof,
behind this wall.
But what moved me
was the mossy surface
of the grey stone.
5.
I had never seen
such a big insect in my life.
Its name seemed ironic,
given that the Praying Mantis was sitting
on the front porch
of the central building
of the Toshodaiji Temple.
6.
The monks who lived here,
centuries ago,
had each occupied the space
of two tatami mats.
7.
In the parks
of the Toshodaiji Temple,
there were hidden clearings,
covered with the softest moss.
I took my shoes off
to walk on it.
8.
Early morning,
not a soul on the streets of Butte, Montana.
It was as if I had walked into my favorite painting
of Edward Hopper:
"Early Sunday Morning", painted in 1930.
It was Sunday, indeed.
9.
I found out later
that this building had once been a brothel.
A red light district
to really get the blues...
10
A few moments ago,
someone probably stood on the yellow step
in front of that door,
smoked a cigarette,
flipped the butt into the hot street
and went back to work inside.
Behind the wall and its promise
of a safe way,
it was certainly nice and cool.
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to February 2002 News Reel
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