Hanami
1
Renewal, awakening casts Kitanomaru Park,
where resplendent is the koi carp, king of clear streams,
and myriad-colored butterflies dance in tender space,
glazed in the light of purpled nostalgia.
2
To songs of wild birds in the forest chamber
a congregation of spot-billed ducks parades
in quest of food, party, limelight,
bemused by merry-makers canvassing pathways above;
3
chary of a solitary black-breasted leaf turtle
perched at water’s edge, regal in ambition,
rivulets of pride running down her back;
calloused from promises hollow and forsaken.
4
Yoshino cherry trees champion this day,
pink-white five-petal blossoms
piercing air in shade, comfort, peace,
calming rip currents of feeling within Chidorigafuchi Moat.
5
A yearning, low-pitched sigh utters from the blossoms,
messaging from Nature’s God-spirits:
The weeping cherry tree
weeps for no one‑—and everyone.
Not an end or beginning is
Spring’s timeless recycling.
Breathe easy in blustery March winds;
bask in the warmth of sweet radiance.
WJD










