Self-Possession in a Garden of Delight
persimmon tree, black and white adjustment.
Early this year I walked into my bedroom showered, tired, and ready for bed. Flipped the light. Baby spider was on my pillow. We both looked at each other for a beat. I charged, it JUMPED behind the bed, and I slept in the other room. I am not an arachnophob. Not really. Unnerved. Unsettled. Proof that they live amongst us both fascinates me and puts me on edge and, yes, terrifies me.
Persimmons in the rain
Walking through Dejima’s orchards and gardens in the rain — umbrella in one hand, camera in the other — I dodged a few spiders perched eye level to me (because no one else walking though is 192cm/6’4″ they can spin their webs lower than I’d like) until I walked face first into one.
Instinct and expectations collided — I am a man, I can not scream!
Grapes with sunbeam.
I shuddered deeply from within, shook my head violently from side to side, managed to drop my shoulder bag on the wet ground and land my camera on top. With one self possessed step forward I practically undulated with complete and total revulsion and fear. I don’t know how I didn’t scream or completely freak out in a dance.
Tomatoes in the garden.
I couldn’t bring myself to pat myself down for a spider check so dropped my umbrella over my camera and calmly walked over to a near by gardner and told what happened. I asked if he wouldn’t mind checking if I missed any “web” on my person.
I was spider free.
persimon tree color version.
I am in awe of what social expectations and a ridged idea of how one thinks they should behave can, thankfully, reign in even the primeval emotions hidden deep, deep within. Remember that the next time you get pissed at someone. 😉
And ladies and gentlemen, that is how I’ve come to post this set of pics from Nagasaki.
From the orchards in Dejima, Nagasaki.
OK. Your officially my hero for calmly walking to the gardner & asking if there was any “web” on your person. What is it about these little (they are smaller than me, even the horrifically big bird eating spider that I know doesn’t live in Australia…… just sayin’) creatures that sends sensible, sometimes even seriously blokey blokes into stark raving mad people….. I am unfortunately one of them…… yet like you…… would call myself an arachnophob either…. maybe I should.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love your persimon photos. We have many large spiders right now. i don’t mind them eating other bugs, But I don’t want to share my bed with them!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Right!
The idea of it being a baby meant momma was near by. Momma was near and I charged her child. I definitely didn’t want to be in the room that night. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
6’4″ men cannot scream. Who knew?!
Like the monochrome persimmon.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Tall people knew!
It’s the rarefied air at our altitudes.
😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
So, you are not Spiderman 🙂 Beautiful pictures, very enjoyable post as always. Thank you for sharing 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you.
I think I’d be the anti-Spiderman. My character would be Shoe-man. (Splat!)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your link is broken 😦
LikeLike
Oh, gosh. What link?
This is new for me.
LikeLike
By the way, thank you. 🙂
I just checked the link to Dejima and all the photos. Which link did you have trouble with?
LikeLike
You’re welcome. I clicked on something that sounded very interesting and it said the link was broken. I’ll see if I can find it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It might have been an advert. Apparently WordPress adds advertisements to some of our posts.
Thanks again for pointing it out.
🙂
LikeLike
I know they do, my sister saw one. So ,I bought my own domain. I’ve rediscovered my love for writing and decided I was never going to stop again. I know, never say never.lol
LikeLike
Love your first image, of the grapevine, in particular. The light and dark, the shades of green with just enough yellow/brown to highlight them…beautiful.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Why thank you! 🙂
I appreciate the detail, it really does help me.
LikeLike
Totally with you on visiting Australia 😉 Spider season in my house this time of year, I shudder each time I see one. Love the rich colours in the persimmon tree shot
LikeLiked by 1 person
You have a spider season? Time to m o v e, babe.;)
I lived in Sapporo for a year. It snows like five months a year and is blissfully creepy-crawl free for like nine months.
LikeLike
The b/w image of the persimmon is fantastic in the way the edges of the leaves are traced in silver. Love it!
As for the spider… I am with you. I would probably have screamed, dropped and rolled. And I can easily relate to the man in this news story:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/16/man-burns-down-house-spider_n_5591234.html
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, much.
Have you been on holiday? I haven’t seen you around much?
As for torching a home, he was justified. Once they burn down all of Australia, I’ll go visit. Wolf spiders. (shudders)
LikeLiked by 1 person
My home got torched last week. Not the sort of holiday I had in mind. Been a little distracted…
LikeLiked by 1 person
What?
You’re not the spider guy, right. Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that. I hope you didn’t lose anything valuable and that no one was hurt.
It’s dry back home (I’m from L.A., too). I bet things are like kindle. Are you able to live in your home?
LikeLike
Apparently we all eat six spiders in our sleep in our lifetime.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I will now cry myself to sleep each night.
LikeLike
Eeeeeeuw!
LikeLike
the persimon tree images are fantastic
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you much.
🙂
LikeLike