Let the moonlight leak.
Although the wind
blows terribly here,
the moonlight also leaks
between the roof planks
of this ruined house.— Awakening poem by Izumi Shikibu
“The moon in Japanese poetry is always the moon; often it is also the image of Buddhist awakening.
This poem reminds that if a house is walled so tightly that it lets in no wind or rain, if a life is walled so tightly that it lets in no pain, grief, anger, or longing, it will also be closed to the entrance of what is most wanted.”
— Jane Hirshfield
As one living through grief right now, I reside in this house. May the planks of my roof and walls always be loose.
May the breeze blow gently through and the moonlight fall softly around the place.