Nipped in the bud. In a park with streetlights flashing blue and white, the tip of young branch breaks off from cherry blossoms which are in half bloom. Splattered sap flows into nostrils. The bittersweet mucus in amber colour is entangled in the late-night sea breeze. A brand new 1 metre 96 cm wide Cadillac with excited cousins passes by. They are insensitive to the noticing a smell of burned fat, even though the long wool sheepskin seat covers are on fire out of boot of a car. My nose aches, I have a painful boil at the back of my nose.

A book-shaped treasure box obtained by teasing the lovers. When I turned the pages, the past was modestly packed. A vintage Mickey Mouse doll, a bunch of hairpins made by connecting beads, an Austin miniature car, a concert set list for an entertainment by impersonators of the Motown Artists held in my hometown, a handmade hand mirror and a phone number of someone written on a ‘Fragile’ tag.

I begin to learn from a kindly older friend to look after scarlet carps that has started to prey on each other. I walk up and down the wobbly stairs and provide the fresh fish restaurant with the fishes we have brought back to life. Scarlet carps have no teeth in their mouths; they smash each other bodies with the back of their throats. The boundaries of everyday life are on the cutting board in the kitchen, day after day.

My nose swollen to the point of deformity, so I shall confess before the cherry blossoms in full bloom will fall away. I am now wondering whether the Castle of the Dragon King was in the sea or in the river. Let the reportage continue. Lie on a park bench and wait for the sunrise.

…

hiromi suzuki is a poet, fiction writer and artist living in Tokyo, Japan. She is the author of Ms. cried – 77 poems by hiromi suzuki (Kisaragi Publishing, 2013), logbook (Hesterglock Press, 2018), INVISIBLE SCENERY (Low Frequency Press, 2018), Andante (AngelHousePress, 2019), Found Words from Olivetti (Simulacrum Press, 2020), Ephemera (Colossive Press, 2021), Isolated Life (psw gallery, 2023). Double solo exhibition with Francesco Thérès visual HAIKU | OLIVETTI poems was held in Rome, 9 ～30 September 2021.

Note: Cherry Blossoms Bloom is a part of the first poetry collection Ms. cried – 77 poems by hiromi suzuki (kisaragi publishing, 2013 ISBN978-4-901850-42-1). The poem written in Japanese has been translated by hiromi suzuki, 2023.