Poem: "In Japanese, "longing for springtime""


In Japanese, “longing for springtime”


I feel as a weight almost too heavy to bear

            Tzu Pheng Lee, “Seki Shun”



In your last picture of me,
I was carrying a machine-gun,
a reluctant 22-year-old recruit.

Now, at 42, I am more likely
to chaperone a martini
amongst a different troop.

I prefer the martini
but I want that strong young man.


for Debbie, on reconnecting after 20 years

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