"Japanese Spring Fever"

Today felt so GOOD!

I shed my jacket,

swapped my shoes,

{there are "indoor" and "outdoor" shoes here in Japan}

and bounced out the school doors,

for a before-lunch stroll.

- - -

The birds were chittering,

the flowers swaying in the lazy breeze,

and I was dizzy-drunk,

soaking in the sun

and the scents of nearing springtime.

- - -

I finished my stroll at the soccer fields,

plopping under a tree and watching the boys kick up dust,

and thought to myself,

"Why not let spring break begin a bit earlier than planned, Mr. Principal?"

- - -

Oh, I wish he would.

Spring Fever is already sprouting out of me,

mirroring the drowsy sakura buds,

rousing from a wintry hibernation.

{Art via Emmy}