Cherry Blossoms

You’d have to be pretty hard hearted to live in Japan and be left cold by the sight of cherry blossoms. Whether the iconic pink tinged white cherry blossoms or the deep pink pompom variety, the arrival of sakura marks a very cheerful season in Japan. I miss sakura mochi (a kind of wagashi -Japanese sweet) and the unmistakable flavor of the pickled cherry leaf, sakura cheesecake at one of my favorite Tokyo eateries (Sakurajaya) and seeing the beautiful graphics all around me. I dream of trying the fabled sakura flavored drinks available at Starbuck’s in Tokyo.

Though I cannot enjoy all the perks of a Tokyo Sakura Season, I still enjoy keeping the spirit in ways that I can. A few weeks ago I visited Blithewold Mansion and Arboretum. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom. Close to the shore there is a Japanese style garden with a beautiful bridge, a stone lantern and beautiful plants.

The weeping willow (yanagi) makes me think of old Japanese ghost tales. I almost expected to see some creature beckoning me. Several cherry trees grace this area. I found sitting there brought me a breath of fresh ocean air and peace.

Last weekend I attended The Greater Boston-Japan Cherry Blossom Festival 2012 (http://www.japanfestivalboston.org/) in Copley Square Park. The promotional material sounded wonderful – live entertainment, a variety of Japanese food that is not always easy to find and booths by organizations of personal interest. Unfortunately, the trees had blossomed several weeks ago. There were no blooms that I could see, but the spirit remained high. The turnout was so fantastic that it was an absolute crush. While a larger venue or a smaller crowd would have made the event more optimal, I really enjoyed the entertainment, seeing the crowd and discovering new opportunities.

Many of the booths were offering ways to contribute to the recovery of Fukushima. I was pleased to purchase this beautiful pin at one of the booths.

This year I was aware of how many blossoming trees there are in my daily experience. While my commute is fairly long, it is also a beautiful road. I enjoyed seeing all the blossoming trees and was surprised to note how many cherry trees I could find. This year I not only put time aside to celebrate the season by viewing the flowers in a romantic location, but also appreciate the ones I happened upon briefly. It is fitting as it is said that sakura are so celebrated because they are the ultimate symbol of the ephemeral nature of things – in full bloom one day and gone the next. 

I've Seen Berets

I’ve seen berets

I’ve seen berets

Everywhere I’ve looked this month

I’ve seen them on the covers

Of poetry books of old

The books I’ve read to remind me

Of how I started writing.

Berets of wool, of cotton and of celluloid

On heads young and old

Male and female

I saw a young man with a beard

A leather jacket and denim vest

Tortoiseshell glasses on his nose

Wear a red wool beret

At a very jaunty angle

Walking into a big box store

The sight stole my breath away

It was a vision from the young ‘70s

A memory of the past

Everywhere I looked I saw berets

With matching coats

Sophisticated or street chic

They just popped out at me

I bought a new one of cotton

In lacy black

There were so many colors to choose from

It was tempting to try orange or yellow

But I knew I’d never wear them

The black one felt just right

I wore it and people commented

Asked if I was an artist

And I knew not what to say

My new beret

Of lacy cotton

Helped me to finally conquer

The beret

This month I wrote a great deal of poetry. I started out posting something each day. Some days I had to write quite a few poems before I could find one to post. Some were just too far away from being ready for the light of day.

Many days I jotted poems down on scraps of paper. I hope I can find them all to add to my notebook. It was enough to be writing them – good or bad, shared or saved until they are more presentable.

Some poems I shared with my students. They roared with laughter. Sometimes they told me the truth as they saw it – “That’s just boring Ms. Shoup.” We wrote many poems together this month, my students and I. We tried writing concrete poetry, acrostic poems (my favorite were the group acrostics of Sponge Bob Square Pants), and I have plans to use some lesson plans I discovered to help them write Triante poems. I tried quite a few myself with varying success. 

Many days I found, however, that though I set out to write a verse for children, the recalcitrant poem turned my intentions on it’s head and out spewed a poem that only adults would appreciate. Clearly, I have a long way to go before I can call myself a children’s poet. I'm on my way, though. 

Allergies

April 20 2012

Sneeze

Sniff

Snuffle

Wheeze

Whiff

Kerfuffle

Get me a new box of tissues

Turkey Lullaby

April 15, 2012

Wild turkey gobbling

Under my open window

Strange new lullaby

April Mosquito

April 15, 2012

April Mosquito

Overachieving Mother

Leg itching wildly