おこんばんは～
私は英文を書く時に
いつも思うのですが
どうも前置きが長くなる傾向にあります
って言うか、
アメリカ君とかが
私が いきなり言いたいことを書くと
え～
意味、分からないよ
どういうこと？
とか、意地悪く聞いてくるわけなんです
（人のせいにしてないつもり）
で、日本では～こうですが～
とか、そんなとこから
始めるしかない訳なのであります
は～
もっと簡潔に書きたいな
書けたら いいな～
と 今夜のお届けも
つまりは、そんな風に始まってるよ～
と言う、またも言い訳になっております
（なに言いたいの？ですよね～）
それでは、ともかく
お届け申します
Ｏｃｔｏｂｅｒ Ｒａｉｎ
１ Goblin's Paper Fan ど～ぞ～
三毛猫詩人より
October Rain
1 Goblin’s Paper Fan
Like it or not, it rains all year round in Japan.
Amazingly (but not surprisingly for me), we have many different types of rain.
February rain is freezing cold (therefore, it’s hated).
Cursed is the rain in July (it does not stop for more than a month!).
The rampant September rain is always accompanied by his naughty and fierce buddies, typhoons. Wow!
However, my favorite rain is a gentle October rain (that we had this morning).
At my remark, you may raise your eyebrows, and ask me.
“Is the October rain always delicate and gracious in Japan?”
“Well…,”
I will smile at you charmingly (as always) and give you my simple but best answer,
“Yes, of course!”
Wrapping your cheeks in my warm hands, the next moment, I will ask you,
“Will you please do me a favor, which is…please close your eyes and whisper the magic word ‘October Rain” three times.”
(I’m sure you can do that without any hesitation, like Dorothy in the ‘Wizard of Oz’!).
Immediately, you will find yourself standing just beside me in my tiny garden...!
(I can feel your big arm around my small waist... I love it!)
Now, please look around us!
Under the grey but mischievous autumn sky, green rain just keeps falling on the earth.
Somewhere in the deep forest in Africa, or in the tiny island along the Pacific Ocean, it must be raining, too.
Yes, millions of rain drops are twinkling, and playing its quiet music, trip, trop, trip, trap…echoing its tiny sound.
How lovely!
Unfortunately, the sweltering August heat in Tokyo seems to lower my persimmon’s spirit.
Without consulting me (!!), he (meaning my tree) has changed his fruit production plan.
(I don’t think it is wise of him, no, no.)
In fact, this year, regretfully, he could not have produced as much fruit as I had expected.
You see, only two persimmons are dangling from the branch…can you believe that?
(Tragedy unfolds in a persimmon tree, whilst my stomach growls...)
Yet, because of this change, instead of the fruit, their leaves gathered all the nutrition and have become huge!
How big?
Believe it or not, they are as big as the size of my palm (!!).
In my opinion, they look exactly like the magical paper fans treasured by a supernatural creature, tengu.
No doubt about it!
(You know, tengu is someone like a long-nosed goblin in England.)
Can't you see that Tengus’ precious red and yellow fans are scattered, here and there?
(Perhaps tengu could have accidentally dropped them when my cat Mah-on tried to greet them?!).
Being separated from their mom, a lot of brown withered leaves also lie on the water-soaked ground.
As they are drenched to the skin, they look completely deserted and extremely lonely.
“What can I do for you?”
Suddenly and automatically the words came out of my mouth, which surprised me!
I think I could not refrain myself from asking them, because as you probably know that that strikingly sweet and kind woman is who truly I am…
(To be continued...)
Poet Calico Cat