Within a hexagonal pagoda
there sits a compact hinoki cypress
begun in 1737.
A dragon is molded into its pot.

How many vessels has it shed during
the past 285 years?
The form of a towering, ancient pine
rendered entirely in miniature

by the patience of ten generations.
In a moment, eyes can ascend its height
and the mind follows them to a mountain

shrouded in mist at sunrise. A ravine
is the only egress from a humble 
convent nestled among the windswept trees.