Some words remain longer than their first meanings.
An old expression.
A proverb.
A familiar way of saying something.
They may sound simple at first.
And yet, within a word, there can be a trace of how people once noticed the world, measured distance, offered care, or protected a small piece of wisdom.
This is a place for staying near the quiet texture carried by words.
Essays in Words
Even a Dog May Meet a Stick
A small proverb, carrying two opposite ways of looking at movement.
Hana no Iro wa
A quiet reading of Ono no Komachi’s waka, where fading blossoms, spring rain, and the passage of time meet within a single phrase.
Lingering Summer
A word for the moment when summer is still here, but somehow already beginning to leave.
Mottainai
A familiar Japanese word for the small hesitation that comes before throwing something away.
Take the Longer Way When in a Hurry
An old Japanese saying about why the surest way forward may begin by slowing down and looking at one’s footing.
To Send Salt to One’s Enemy
An old Japanese saying about the line that may remain even between enemies, where advantage gives way to decency.