Legend of The Gold Bamboo
(c) Gregory Grefenstette 2024
Legend of The Gold Bamboo
(c) Gregory Grefenstette 2024
One warm autumn night, I met a man who told me the strangest story…
The Spirit of the Forest passing through his town in disguise told him…
Beyond the hidden waterfall, there is a dark forest where no one goes
A thick, black forest which the summer sun can not reach
Hidden in that forest are bamboo made of gold
The golden bamboo possess malicious magic
You can only see the bamboo from the corner of your eye
Sometimes you feel so close that you can reach out and grab one
But when you stretch your hand, the golden bamboo jumps away
The bamboo moves to the left or the right in a blink of the eye
Thick trunks suddenly block your way
You glance away and suddenly it is right there
Then the bamboo hides again like a shy cat
Often the gold bamboo seem to be everywhere
Elusive like the wind. No one has ever brought a gold bamboo back.
People have returned with red cotton ball flowers
All sorts of luxuriant flowers and plants
And orange fire flowers and licking plants
And flowers like falling diamonds, but not one gold bamboo.
These paintings of the Legend of the Gold Bamboo were first presented October 11-13, 2024, in the Gallery Jean-Pierre Respaut in Suresnes, France.