Chiro's Slow Spring - Poem - #KazemakaseLiteratureClub #InProgress

Chiro, the old dog,
his once-brown face
has turned
completely white.

On the sunny terrace,
he sleeps happily, all day long.
His tiny snores
can be heard in the room,
making the family's lips soften into a smile.

Back when he was full of energy,
when he would go for walks with the children,
at the call of
'Ready, set, go!'
he would run in a straight line.
His long ears would stream behind him like ribbons,
and the very small child could not keep upand would start to cry.

- Hey, Chiro,
shall we have a race?

He lifts his head a little,
looks at me,
and closes his eyes again.
It is as if
he is racing against a spring dream.

But there is one word
that makes him get up and want to go out.

- Chiro, we're going to visit the grave...

When he hears the word 'visit',
he sits up abruptly,
gives a big stretch,
and barks happily,
'Woof, woof!'

He wears his red collar for the first time in a while to go out,
and while wagging his tail slowly,
he follows along at a gentle pace.

Chiro's child's grave
is in an old temple by the river.

But Chiro's steps
stop along the way.

- Look, it's just a little further.
Do your best, let's go.

With sad, round eyes,
he looks up at his owner's face,
and sits down in the middle of the road.

- We're still on our way to the grave.

Always, in the end,
he is carried in his owner's arms,
and the visit to the grave continues.

- Chiro, it's sad that you can only
walk part of the way now, isn't it?

When I whisper this into Chiro's ear,
along with the spring breeze,
he licks my cheek
with his rough,
beloved tongue,over and over again.

The exchange of heart-to-heart words with the dog
continues until we reach the grave.

The rapeseed blossoms swaying beside the grave
welcome the one person and one dog.

- Chiro, I'm glad you didn't give up
halfway there...

The yellow of the rapeseed blossoms
dyed the shadows of the two of us

I am participating in the "In Progress" project for the "Kazemakase Literature Club" organized by i-san.
I look forward to working with you, i-san.
i-san, thank you very much.

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