Poem of the Day: "A Day Late" by Anne Carly Abad, Frequent Contributor

A Day Late

Anne Carly Abad

shedding her coat...

spring blossoms cover

a dirt path

lone pink amid green

visitors take turns holding

flowers

lilies in a temple urn

a breeze shakes off

silver droplets

brief rain

the last cold bite

before parting

Poet's Notes:  Japan is one of my favorite places on earth. The cool weather, delicious food, friendly folks and richness of nature are things I'll always miss when it's time to go home. The other things I appreciate about Japan are their short poetry forms like the tanka and the haiku. I like the sense of the present, of the now that can be captured in the briefest of words. Also, I like the depth of meaning that can be derived from a single moment--when a bird takes flight, when a petal falls, when a parent chases her child. Writing in a foreign language, we may only approximate the original Japanese, but that doesn't detract from the satisfaction of being able to capture a beautiful moment.

Editor's Note:  Sadly, this will be the last poem by Anne that will be published in Songs of Eretz Poetry Review at least for a while.  She has decided to take a sabbatical of undetermined length from her Frequent Contributor role in order to concentrate on other projects.  Her honey-smooth voice, beautiful imagery, and diverse approaches to the poetic word will be missed, and she will be welcomed back whenever she is ready.