Loveliest of Trees — an Antidote to Autumn Foliage
Imagine drinking saké underneath
The cherry blossoms. Saké and the food
Are not about our deaths and joys — a wreath
Of loss and life. This day is for the brewed
Sak-ura-flavored drinks, the pink of blooms,
The sweetness of the sunlight, springtime air
And tittering in silks. Ignore the dooms
All round. The picnic people grow no prayer.
That’s for another time. This day is pink
And white and green, these beauties that they know.
They do not even give the slightest wink
To death. Why should they? Cherries laugh at snow.
Enjoying spring is better than a rite.
Leave memento mori pinkly. Shrug off blight.
~ Phillip Whidden
by phillipw | Oct 2, 2024 | Uncategorized |