(1) Escape from the Willow Garden. (2) Willow Pattern. (3) Clueless.

                 1.

Escape from the Willow Garden.


Do you remember the moment we were transformed into birds
To escape our enemies on the narrow bridge?
It did not hurt us, the sudden growing of wings,
Our fingers narrowing down into sharpened claws,
But I must admit those feathers itched a little,
Especially when we soared close to the sun,
Our Lark voices shrieking panic calls.

But our wings were not made of wax and branches
And did not melt when we rose like jets
High into the stratosphere above the garden
Where our enemies cursed and swore beneath the willows,
Before they packed their hand guns under pillows
Where they kept them in case of gang land brawls.

That night, changed once more back to man and woman,
We slept together under cherry blossom
That fell like snow upon our tired heads,
But for an hour or two after our sneak arrival
We could not regain the powers of human speech
But sat quietly by the moon flecked river
And told fantastic stories with our eyes.


Trevor John Karsavin Potter.
July 16th. 2016.
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                2.

   Willow Pattern.



I am this shadow

You cannot hold me

Only observe the outline


Transformed into birds
We soar high above the arched bridge
Into the white sky
Briefly our song is heard
Among the Weeping Willows

The huntsman skims a stone upon the water
To shatter a fleeting image
But his aim is faulty
We have already flown far and wide
Out of reach

Later in another country
Transformed into our former selves
We sip green tea together
The simplicity of the ceremony
Instills a profound peace


Holding hands in the dark

The certainty of our love feels stronger

Than the rocks that make up the mountains


Trevor John Karsavin Potter.
19th. November 2012.
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                    3.

              Clueless.
   

Blind to realities
The hunter spins a stone at the images
Reflected on the river,

Meanwhile the birds have flown.


Trevor John Karsavin Potter.
July 19th. 2016.

I have loved the Willow Pattern since childhood, but it was only recently that that I learned it is an English design. So here we have it, European style porcelain decorated with an English design made up of Chinese styled images. The various legends of the fleeing lovers transformed into birds were invented even later. At some point I dreamed that the lovers fled to Japan where they lived out their lives in relative safety, hence the cherry blossom mentioned in the first poem. So here we have it, a world famous English design that could not possibly exist without a positive interaction with other cultures. And where do I stand in respect to all this. I was born in England, have a Welsh first name, a surname that can be either English, Irish or Dutch, and I have Azerbaijani, Russian, Scottish, Romani, and possibly French ancestry. I should have had a different surname, but my mother was prevented from marrying her first love, partly for political reasons. I feel very much a citizen of Europe, and my personal culture is a result of countless transactions along the Silk Road over countless centuries. This island is only one part of that story.

Trevor John Karsavin Potter.  19th. July 2016.