Waiting

Cadavars are unlikely to be found underneath these blssoms - they are too pale!

I’ve been waiting for the delivery of wood boards I had ordered for my new paintings, two weeks ago. The leadtime is now 15 to 30 days, the website notice reads. Frustrating, but that’s the only way to get them. No one guarantees quick deliveries. Those days are gone.

While waiting for them, I’ve also been waiting for my inspiration for the next painting. One morning, when I was looking at cherry trees, the first line of the story I read in a school textbook suddenly came up in my mind. “There lie cadavers buried under the cherry blossoms!” (by Motojiro Kajii). The shocking line evoke a vivid image - no wonder I still remember it. I then checked how the story continued - as I couldn’t remember much else - ‘This is a truth that you must accept. For how else could the flowers of the cherry tree be so magnificent in their bloom?’

Our cherry trees have been blossoming beautifully. The brevity of the flowers is appealing, but somehow I am not attracted to paint them. I’m still waiting.