If there is a book that succeeds in putting the beauty of Kauai into words and pictures, it is “Whispers on the Mountain.”
This collection of poems and photographs by Kapua Janai is a rare gem that is pleasing to peruse and provides a sense of calm when all can seem so chaotic.
One of my favorite is “White Smoke Spirals.” In this one, Janai writes:
Humans need a sense of order,
else we could not accomplish
what we need to support our lives.
Yet Wonder and Beauty cannot be regimented
Can we as humans walk a flowing path
that allows these also in our lives?
Can we move and change and live as gracefully
as white smoke spirals
rising gently into the air?
Words that are pure and clean.
Another poem which stands out (and happens to be on the very next page after White Smoke Spirals) is “The Company of Trees.”
It opens with these lines:
In the company of Trees
I am different somehow,
not the same as I am
when engrossed in the world of humankind.
Perhaps it is that
in the company of Trees,
I see with a different perspective.
I see a different part of myself emerge; a deeper part, a more connect part,
a part that feels in some way more real.
This book is a collection of gifts from nature, writes Janai. It offers “glimpses of her treasures, secret message, magical moments created to delight us, and inspiration drawn from her wonders. Through these, Nature offers to you an invitation to visit her, spend some time and get to know her, and listen yourself for her Whispers.”
Her book is broken into sections: “Moments of Wonder,” “The Elements,” “Magical Places,” “Creating a New Connection,” and “Cycles and Seaons.”
Spending time in nature is something we should all do. Certainly, for the peace of mind and soul that comes with being outdoors. And they say there are many health benefits for young and old that come from being in nature.
Janai puts it well:
“Nature has always called to me, and as I learned to respond I found that there were many gifts offered to me. If found that there was a healing energy in nature, a balancing, a re-centering, a way to discover a deeper part of yourself, and to feel your connection with the rest of life.”
It’s all to easy to feel lost these days. To feel disconnected from this world we call home. The hours, the days, the weeks, the years, they pass by far more quickly than we realize. But nature has a way of putting life in perspective. It has a way of calming restless souls. It has a way of providing us with guidance. We take so much for granted, but Janai urges us not to. She is right.
Consider Kapua Janai’s book your guide to nature on Kauai. Her advice is sound: “I do hope you will reach out to Nature yourself, and find the particular wonders and joys that she holds waiting for you.”
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Bill Buley, editor-in-chief, can be reached at 245-0457 or bbuley@thegardenisland.com.
