orange moon
sailed-off before
i came to the river
to watch the boats
light begins to turn
time to prepare for fall
love of summer
your glitters
down to the sea you go
Jisei, or death poem, is a genre of poetry established since the early days of Zen where the author, usually a monk or practitioner, would offer their reflection on death when the encounter with it seemed imminent but more broadly would express an understanding or worldview informed by Buddhist teachings; a sentiment deeply imbued with the sense of the the transience of world. It's the realization of the inevitability of death that prompted Buddha's long search for liberation from conditioned and limited human existence that bears the seal of suffering.