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