ROMANCE Poem: Honeymoon Haikus, by Erika McKitrick

passport, boarding pass
things we hope for never last
Japan welcomes us

tamago for breakfast
an onigiri for lunch
lots of snacks to munch

Tokyo Palace
what disrespect you have faced
by the hands of men

train packed like sardines
we are all going somewhere
all people with lives

leisurely we move
toward places new to us
yet old as can be

there is nothing like
reminders of the beauty
of where you grew up

colourful houses
perched on a hill together
reminds me of home

homesick honeymoon
always want what we don’t have
memento mori

morning dew on leaves
the temple is silent, still
it is time to pray

I read my fortune
100 yen decides my fate
“hard work will pay off”

a sickness hits us
five of our days are bed bound
honeymoon romance

taking care of you
this is what I am here for
loving my husband

stop everything now
take the time to love yourself
isn’t that better?

shinkansen ride west
to Kyoto we go, fast
two hundred eighty

traditional dish
rice bowl with clams, conger eel
my train bento box

illusive mountain
can we catch a glimpse of you?
O please Mount Fuji

covered by the clouds
the mountain stays hidden from
all of us below

most famous peak here
Fuji Mountain in full view
a sight to be seen

my great Mt. Fuji
photos don’t do you justice
your beauty is gentle

Kyoto, swarming
the sun is out and so is
every tourist

Kyoto is full
of life, of people, of time
and yet not enough

cherry blossoms bloom
leaves turn brown and fall from trees
the circle of life

napping on the train
movement lulling minds to sleep
we just missed our stop

blue skies cheer me on
the birds seem to sing to me
nothing can stop us

if I die today
don’t worry, I am in love
what a way to go