English Original
newly divorced --
on the Christmas cactus
a lone bloom
Acorn, 45, 2020
Elliot Nicely
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
最近才離婚 --
聖誕仙人掌上
一朵孤單盛開的花
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
最近才离婚 --
圣诞仙人掌上
一朵孤单盛开的花
Bio Sketch
Elliot Nicely is the author of The Black Between Stars (Crisis Chronicles Press, 2017) and Tangled Shadows: Senryu and Haiku (Rosenberry Books, 2013). He resides in Lakewood, Ohio.
L1 sets the theme and mood while the image of this "lone blooming flower" on the "Christmas cactus (religious/spiritul symbol of resilience/strength)" in Ls 2&3 is visually evocative and symbolically rich, functioning like a foreshadowing of the newly divorced N's foreseeable future.
ReplyDeleteFYI: A Christmas cactus "typically blooms in response to cooler temperatures and longer periods of darkness." To trigger blooming, you can place the cactus in a location where it will receive about 12-14 hours of darkness each night, and keep it in a cooler environment, ideally around 50-55°F (10-13°C).