Memory Of Japan - The Four Seasons Poem by john tiong chunghoo

first winter
i walk to to work
feet exposed in the melted snow
life is a winter storm

first winter and my lips crack
two red dried rivers of pain
that the lip balm tries to soothe

first winter
the snow like cotton
dances to my bewilderment
our laughters burst the
sanctified silence of cold air

first spring
the buds too rage to join
in the warmth of time
as our heart takes on
another rhythm
in the excitement of all
the good things that the season signifies

first summer
so hot the sun bites and all
i want to do is to lie
and wait for it to set
so that cool wind would take
over the air again
i can walk around like an
animal fresh from hibernation

autumn
the persimmons give
the fruit market a fresh glow
they are everywhere
Y100 for a whole basket of 10
the only things that make me
feel Japan is cheap

and the shopping places
too like a chameleon
is changing in shine and shades
with new designs to suit the season
where the mood is to be more
colourful than the leaves that are
twirling away in cheers
and yes, christmas is in the offing