shizeno aishiteru

I am in constant awe of the beauty that surrounds my little town. I just finished reading a fictional biography on the author of The Tale of Gengi and it often discussed the colour pairing of layers of kimono and named them using nature as an example. I can easily imagine the people of the time discussing the mountains as layers of coloured kimonos. When I arrived in the summer everything was drenched with green a wet, dark, verdant green. Fall came around and the mountains were brilliant hues of red, yellow, orange and brown. Once the leaves had fallen stark rock faces and crags were visible that had previously held masses of vines and the bones of the mountains were revealed. Then the snow coated everything in pristine masses of white which held a stark but dangerous beauty but now I think they are at their most beautiful. It seemed the mountains awakened with spots of cherry blossoms here and there, and next came the leaves which when young have a light green hue that stands in contrast with the dark of the pines. I have never seen so many wild flowers in my life. They are everywhere and varied. I had also never seen a magnolia tree and in bloom they are quite magnificent. The prairies are certainly beautiful in their own way but the mountains thrust their beauty at the sky and display it proudly.