Other people

A poem written based off of someone else's idea

Grand desire, flying high over several seas,
Like flowing water, years of life one grieves.
Set goals missed, no reward, years counted past,
Bird chirps over and over, reminder of reprise.


Double Leaf Resort

Down among a hundred flowers, there is an alkaline spring,
A place of quiet stillness, dotted with a few houses.
Ten-thousand lowly earthen vessels all washed clean,
Clothed in Japanese, sitting around, by the side of a clear stream. 

My first Sunday in Taiwan, I went to Beitou with my boss, Yen Jingbuo. We went to a special hot spring that was heated by calcium, not the usual sulfur which has a foul smell. It was on top of a mountain, by a stream. Afterwards, we were dressed in Japanese clothing, which is very comfortable and non-constricting, and relaxed in the lounge that had a scenic view and the sound of trickling water. In the room hung a wall of sayings, one of which said, "Deep down among hundreds of kinds of flowers."

- My grandfather's boss later became president of Taiwan.
- Most likely, my mom thinks, this was not a place just anyone could go. Since Japanese people built spas in still quiet places, away from the hubbub of the city, they also valued hot springs and baths.