Snow aspects

Snow Plum by Song dynasty poet Lu Meipuo

No. 1

Plum and snow vie for spring, neither will submit.
Writers rest their pens, argue debate and critique:
"The plum should be by snow three parts less white."
"The snow compared to plum loses by one mark of fragrance."

No. 2

Plum without snow lacks vitality,
Snow without poetry makes everyone basic. 
Day darkens, poems written, the heavens snow again,
Together with plum, forms a ten-part* spring.

*ten-parts is perfect 


Some North Island (Hokkaido) Poems

I went to Hokkaido because I have a friend, Dong Haoyun,* who has a shipping company who had a new ship to be christened. We were invited to the ship christening at Hokkaido.

No. 1 - Hot Springs Hotel

Japan everywhere competing in beauty and color,
North Island hanging alone beside the setting sun.
Ice, snow, severe cold, nothing to fear:
Where there's a guest house, there's a hot spring.

*famous shipping magnate, my mom said, "Like Onassis."