The white flowers of Ume, which had bloomed nobly against the remaining severity of late winter, have begun to grow old and lose their brightness and fragrance gradually as spring deepens. Before long they will fade away quietly in capricious mild winds.
Flowers swiftly appear and disappear one after another as the seasons change. I am always amazed at how readily they go away without leaving any trace and attachment.
This gentle decisiveness of flowers repeatedly reminds me about the story of nature in which our birth, death and rebirth keep cycling constantly without end in silence.
