Aware

I wish to be aware of the slightest gain

growing in my mind,

preparing for the day,

when in the morning,

it expands with the rising of the sun,

as happens with a child,

the shoes,

worn only yesterday,

no longer fit.

Or when a bud,

long-awaited,

breaks the frozen ground.

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Thank you for reading my words.

We have reached the sixth and final season of winter, The Season of Greater Cold 大寒 (daikan) in the traditional Japanese calendar. The kanji characters for this season are simple: 大 (dai), which represents big, and 寒(kan), which indicates cold temperature.

Daikan’s three micro-seasons are:

January 20–24 Butterburs Bud 款冬華 (fuki no hana saku)

January 25–29 Ice Thickens on Streams 水沢腹堅 (sawamizu kōri tsumeru)

January 30–February 3 Hens Start Laying Eggs 鶏始乳 (niwatori hajimete toya ni tsuku)

On February 4, the first of the six seasons of Spring surrounding the Spring Equinox and their micro-seasons begin. Spring is just around the corner for those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere.

You can find more of my seasonal writing journey in my list Micro-Season Poem Cycle with a Medium account. These seventy-two poems (with two exceptions) were written between October 2023 and October 2024 during the season they take their inspiration from. They were originally published in Scribe by Thomas Gaudex.

I dedicate this poem to Dylan, whose shoes no longer fit one morning.