HOKUSAI SAYS by Roger Keyes

Hokusai says look carefully.
He says pay attention, notice.
He says keep looking, stay curious.
He says there is no end to seeing.

He says look forward to getting old.
He says keep changing,
you just get more who you really are.
He says get stuck, accept it, repeat yourself
as long as it’s interesting.

He says keep doing what you love.

He says keep praying.

He says every one of us is a child,
every one of us is ancient,
every one of us has a body.
He says every one of us is frightened.
He says every one of us has to find
a way to live with fear.

He says everything is alive—
shells, buildings, people, fish,
mountains, trees, wood is alive.
Water is alive.

Everything has its own life.

Everything lives inside us.

He says live with the world inside you.

He says it doesn’t matter if you draw,
or write books. It doesn’t matter
if you saw wood, or catch fish.
It doesn’t matter if you sit at home
and stare at the ants on your veranda
or the shadows of the trees
and grasses in your garden.
It matters that you care.

It matters that you feel.

It matters that you notice.

It matters that life lives through you.

Contentment is life living through you.
Joy is life living through you.
Satisfaction and strength
is life living through you.

He says don’t be afraid.
Don’t be afraid.

Look, feel, let life take you by the hand.

Let life live through you.

Hokusai Says

He says don't be afraid. Don't be afraid.

Love, feel, let life take you by the hand.

Photograph by Duo Chen

Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) was a Japanese artist, painter and print maker, best known for his images of landscapes and every day life in Japan. The poet and Professor of East Asian Studies, Roger Keyes, sought to capture his artistry in words. ‘Hokusai Says’ is a translation of visual art to written word.

This poem had such beautiful resonance in our recent Women’s Circle. I hesitate to share my perspective on the words and instead offer this as a gift for your heart to meet it. I hope you’ll let me know in the comments if it moves you or what you felt reading it!