Words of Leaves [July / Tanka]

Waiting with a sparkler that won't light
Realizing it's upside down, the start of summer

Oh child walking with a parasol
What do you shield with it, besides the sun?

Slammed against the concrete, life spent
Cicada, butterfly, dragonfly—you all did well

○ Waiting with a sparkler that won't light
Realizing it's upside down, the start of summer

The other day, I was invited to a friend's house. After dinner, my boys and their daughter had a mini fireworks display, getting a head start on summer vacation.
The children kept saying, "It won't light," "It won't light." The sparklers kept getting shorter and shorter. Could they be defective?
You're holding the wrong end!
With sparklers, sometimes it's hard to tell which end is which, right?
Anyway, it was a moment that both adults and children enjoyed. And surely, the best part is that summer vacation is still ahead of us!

○ Oh child walking with a parasol
What do you shield with it, besides the sun?

The heat lately is truly severe. In the past, no matter how tropical the night was, by morning you could feel the cool, clear air of summer. I used to love summer mornings.
Hats are mandatory for commuting to school. This year, suddenly, more children are wearing neck coolers. I also see some children using parasols. When the heatstroke index gets high, there's an announcement at school to stay in the classroom during breaks instead of playing outside.
There are so many things they need to be careful about and know to protect themselves... but children can't keep that much in their heads, can they? Heatstroke, guerrilla rainstorms, stranger danger, J-Alerts...
I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait a little longer to run around under the sun.

○ Slammed against the concrete, life spent
Cicada, butterfly, dragonfly—you all did well

At the beginning of this week, I heard the first cicada.
Two days later, I found a cicada that had spent its life in the bicycle parking area.
So fleeting...
There's an image that boys love bugs, but my boys aren't that good with them. I, who admired Nausicaä, thought it would be a waste to let my children grow up hating bugs, so whenever I found pill bugs, ladybugs, or beetles, I would show them or let them hold them (they are still okay with those), but when I asked if they wanted me to buy them a bug net or a bug cage for summer vacation, my eldest son said, "I don't really need one." As for my second son, he said, "I hate cicadas! Because they look gross. And they surprise me when they suddenly chirp!" and wouldn't even touch them.
It would be a hassle if they said they wanted to keep one, and I'd probably be the one taking care of it, so that's fine, but it's complicated when they say they can't even touch a cicada lying on its back because it's "gross." ...I mean, even Mom doesn't like the soft ones like larvae.
They did their best and lived out their short lives, didn't they? Thinking that, I moved it to the dirt so it wouldn't get stepped on, at the very least.

I'm participating in #SeasonalTanka!
One more week. Actually, I have haiku and senryu ready too (I just haven't organized them into an article...). Planning to post them next week.
Also, the boys aren't getting into it at all, saying things like, "Ugh, I'm done with 5-7-5," and they won't do the children's club activities... Hmm, maybe I pushed them too hard. It's difficult...💦