Winter in Japan

Winter in Japan

When I was

young, a sleeping god thought

long-dead came awake

in anger, fire, and

ash falling softly

from the sky.  I thought,

Snow.

Here I am old in a land where

a sleeping god lies

yet to wake and

snow falling gently

upon my face.  I think,

Ash.

(August 2012)

Note:  When I was a child, Mt. Pinatubo, a volcano long thought to be extinct, erupted in overwhelming violence.  The effects of having released massive amounts of volcanic ash into the atmosphere were seen all over the world.  When I was in my late twenties, I went to Japan and saw another sleeping volcano, covered in pristine white snow...