スキップしてメイン コンテンツに移動

Smiles and Gratitude

During the long period of separation brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the preciousness of meeting one another face to face was deeply engraved in our hearts. This poem portrays, with sincerity, the joy of reunion and the cycle of “smiles” and “gratitude” that arises within relationships of mutual support. The mere presence, voice, and gentle being of the visitor awaken the strength to live. Confirming each other’s safety and being able to connect in person becomes a source of hope. It is a quiet testament to the irreplaceable value of everyday human connection.

 

“Smiles and Gratitude”

 

Until the day you came to visit,

I lived in eager anticipation.

Your smile made me so happy

that my fears of COVID faded away.

 

Just hearing your voice,

I reassured myself of your safety.

How long I had wished

to see your smiling face again.

 

Until the day we could meet and talk,

I waited for a whole year.

Longing to feel your kindness,

at last my heart finds peace.

 

Simply meeting you and sharing time

makes me feel that I am truly alive.

Please don’t hold back—tell me anything.

Your smile encourages and heals me;

motivation and energy well up within me.

My heart is filled with gratitude.

 

Just having you before me

lets me feel a brightness ahead.

Your thoughtfulness makes me glad,

and I can live today with strength.

Receiving your care and support,

my heart overflows with gratitude.



このブログの人気の投稿

Knowing at Sunset　(New Year’s Card, 2026)

his poem reflects on life as it is seen at sunset— not as an ending, but as a moment when past light, lingering warmth, and the promise of a new dawn quietly coexist. Knowing at sunset — the gradations of a life. Passion has not yet cooled; the days bathed in sunlight now lie distant. Life glows in the lingering afterlight. Melting into sunset — the strange encounters a life bestows. Benevolence remains precious still; with the sun at one ’ s back, shadows are cast. Life resounds in the hues of evening. Cherishing the beauty of sunset — the last story of a life. Embers have not yet burned out; in the stillness that reaches culmination, one is suffused by a new sun.
Read more »

To Those Guided by Young Children

This poem listens to life as it is reflected in young children— their gaze, their silence, their small questions. Each moment asks something of us, quietly but unmistakably, calling not for sentiment, but for responsibility, care, and action. To Those Guided by Young Children To meet the gaze of a young child demands a sincerity that faces them head-on. In a young child’s tears, an anger that must not be indulged is questioned. In a young child’s smile, the meaning of selfless joy is questioned. In a young child’s gestures, the warmth of an embracing presence is questioned. In a young child’s fragile voice, our readiness to respond without delay is questioned. In a young child’s silence, the wisdom to sense the heart beyond words is questioned. In a young child’s small questions, our breadth of vision toward the world is questioned In the radiance of a young child’s life, our resolve to protect the present is questioned. The peace a young child seeks without cease mu...
Read more »

A World of Right and Wrong

This poem examines a world where the line between right and wrong is deliberately blurred. By questioning language, justification, and power, it confronts the moral evasions that sustain domination and asks what happens when self-overcoming is refused.   A World of Right and Wrong   When facing a matter, we must examine our way of thinking. We must examine our use of words. We must examine our everyday conduct.   What is the basis that claims alignment with reason? What is the basis for asserting what is “ right ” ? What is the basis for believing one is doing good?   Is a slip of the tongue a lie meant to protect oneself? Is a mocking laugh arrogance that looks down on others? Is failure nothing more than shifting responsibility?   Self-serving values are proclaimed as legitimate. Self-centered ethics are boasted as humanitarian. Ego-driven morality is substituted for education.   One secures absolute c...
Read more »