Sakura Haiku

You enchant the world

From Tokyo to Toronto

Every spring you bloom

High Park is aglow

You light the Eiffel Tower

The White House, as well

Only for a week

And then you will disappear

Leaving branches bare

A blossom remains

Only for a few minutes

Nestled in my hair

The weather changes

This impermanent nature

Is true of all things

The Four Seasons of Life

Primavera

Bursting with green

Your optimism brightens the days

You warmly caress my face

With your sun rays

Estate

The forest celebrates

Whilst the clouds cry

Lush with rain the forests are

Suddenly, the sun returns to the sky

Autunno

Withered leaves, decaying in

Infinite shades of brown

You remind us all of our own mortality

As we all make our descent underground

Inverno

You are now deceased

Buried beneath a frozen lake

Children skate over your grave

For their own amusement’s sake

Elixir of Emperor Shennong

With leaves as ancient as time itself

From the time of the mythical Xia

Green, oolong, white, pu’erh,

Rose, chai, or lavender

More powerful, still, is matcha

Matcha is loved so much,

It has become a ceremony

To drift off to sleep or to wake you up 

Either way, to have a cup

Is to have a mind in harmony

Second only to water

This elixir is the best

It has become a normality

In terms of hospitality

To always offer it to a guest