We present this work in honor of National Foundation Day.

 

Hollow night,
Earth holds its breath hushed
and watches me blossom.
With roots so straight,
The flowers will not cease to bloom.
In a state of ignorance as to the why of arrival,
they bid you welcome.
Hearts singing out to the springtime.

Could the news have been true?
That I’d become colorful.
That on sturdy heels
I’d set out to walk
This fragrant terrain of blankness.
Was it true to the core?

In this wind-vanished now,
No one’s seen the face of spring unpainted.
As we stand erect, through our eyes
the pale flow of petals.
Applauding hands, I wrench them open,
To blow your name inside.
Your birth,
Your awakening—cause for celebration.

Let us love what enters our vision,
With such wicked earnestness
I will dye you the color of spring—
Congratulations.
Sunrise dances lovely into my throat.