One Sunny Spring Saturday in Southern California

Another winter had passed. It is now spring. A sunny day indeed in Southern California but under the bamboo grove, the blowing wind is cold. As I sat and admired the garden scenery sipping my hot cup of Chinese tea and listening to the Butterfly Concerto performed by Vanessa Mae, I can't help but to ponder what's up in the heavens.

Surely eternal youth and beauty are there without physical pains or aches from this mortal world. At least this is the image that I am led to believe. How great it is to be an immortal without Old Age nibbling away at Youth and without the worries if one had all the 1040¹ entries correctly filled out for the dreaded looming tax day of April the fifteenth! How I all hate the IRS! I suppose that's the price to pay to live in an almost weather paradise of a sunny Southern California. Now you know the reason of my being in the garden.

I long to be a denizen of that upper world. However, on a second thought, beware of what you wished for. I should be grateful and satisfied with all the good things my life had brought me. I am sure that there are plenty of others who would envy the kind of life I have now. At least I am not in some war torn country nor a disease ravaged place. I should be counting my blessings instead and not bemoaning such trifles as the IRS.

Once more my mind is drifted to the ethereal realm for a quick respite. I needed the break from the daily drudgery of the week. Jeff, Jeff, Jeff! Can't blame you for thinking otherwise. After all you are a human being and yes, each and every one of us do have dreams. Without them, life even with material comfort will not soothe the restless mind. Fantasy journeys are good for our mental health; as long as they don't become an opiate. So stop your yearnings. Write some poetry instead!

1 蝴蝶兒,    Oh butterflies,

2 花香淡.    The fragrance of flowers is weak.

3 春日和,    One warm spring day,

4 風来冷.    But the blowing wind is cold.

5 瑤池²仙子, The Jasper Pool fairy,

6 無配³,          Matchless,

7 黄臉⁴凡妻,   A mortal's wife of a yellow aged face

8 難比!     Can hardly be compared!

So I fibbed! Actually, I am in the office, longing to be out there in the warm sunshine but alas... It is also true that I am listening to the repeated Vanessa's Mae's violin playing with my headphones on as I try to seek inspiration to write something as I am waiting for the computer to finish its processing... I hate idle minds. Better to finish things quickly here and get out of this air conditioned place and literally fly to my garden sanctuary before the sun goes down!

Saturday, April 04, 2015

1.  The number of the US income tax form.

2.  Paradise.

3.  It can also mean that no one is good enough [for her]
4.  Self deprecation to avoid hubris

Then in 31 April 2016, the some changes to the poem were made. Line 6's 配 was changed to 偶, companion, the last line's 難比 to 有伴 - having someone around and about a year later on 24 Apr 2017, 伴 was modified to 婿 which in this context to mean "husband" and not a son-in-law.  In Cantonese, 婿 has the same pronunciation as 勢, power, control. So the last line can be a pun to the reason the beautiful fairy is lonely because of a fierce and powerful wife!

蝴蝶兒,  Oh butterflies,

花香淡.  The fragrance of flowers is weak.

春日和,  One warm spring day,

風来冷.  But the blowing wind is cold.

瑤池仙子,The Jasper Pool fairy,

無偶,         With no companion.

黄臉凡妻,  A mortal's wife of a yellow aged face,

有婿!        But has a husband!