by Jamie Ryder

Sky Lantern

An epiphany is like a match struck in total darkness
it illuminates a road you never knew was there
keep the spark alive until it becomes an anchor

But what happens when your teather
is made from grief and regret?
It becomes a spectating sport
a ghost trapped behind glass walls

Cut the strings
turn all doubt into a lantern
wrap it with wishes
until the wick burns brightly
with hope exhumed from
a place of happy memories

Cast your latern off
let it rise among a thousand others
who want the world to see
they aren’t defined by a single moment
let it become a celebration for everything
left behind in the dirt

Worries drift away
into a night filled with small mercies
when final twinkle appears on the horizon
you’ll know you’re free

Sakura

From the moment of first bloom
lost love is ignited
in bursts of pink and magenta
flower of contemplation
falling in a gossamer stream
each petal tinged with a memory
for those who came before
hold a five-sided promise
while Maiko wave branches
tipped with fleeting glory
it is the time of Hanami
where temporal beauty grows
thin as paper
song and companionship
are the colours of spring
honour takes root beneath trees
that echo the old proverb
whoever finds a three-sided cherry blossom will always have love in their lives