Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White
By Akbar Ahmed
It’s April
The season of cherry blossoms
Suddenly appearing everywhere
All around
A riot of subtle pink, burgundy and purple
And apple blossom white
And their sweet smell
Mingles with every kind of magnolia
Butterfly, yellow lantern, lily,
Star and shiraz,
Japan meeting the US
East meeting West,
Along with daffodils and tulips
The fragrance showers the city
It is a time of joy
And rebirth,
While a prayer escapes me
As I bless the man who gave his name
To this metropolis
And his blessed companions
Who dreamt ambrosial dreams
Of a new world
And a new society of people
Like the flowers of the city
Every hue and color
Yet
One
In their love for this garden.
And I smiled
At the pleasant thought
That the flowers will bloom
Long after you and I have gone
Forever fragrant
Forever fresh
And that
We were once part
Of their beauty
And truth.
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