Time does fly when time is fun
Time rolls along when school’s begun
Goodbye uncles goodbye aunts
Goodbye cousins goodbye summer runs
Hello teachers hello school friends
Walking to the bus stop again
Wearing the book packs again
We embrace the new season with a grin
Wondering what kind of summer fun
Will be coming in nine months
I live in a castle
Where the dragon guards my door
Through the big windows I see
The lush green of a forest
Which attracts the wildlife
With whom I share the paths
Music resonates through
The tower hoisted high
The weather is always nice
The wildflowers make me feel bright
The rice stalks add to the charm
On my daily walks my feet are light
If you listen you will hear
The sounds of nature all around us
If you look you will see
The moon and the stars of the heaven
Shining and twinkling above us
The poems I heard in my youth
Come rushing back to me
I recite them softly
Inspired by the beauty
I have the fortune to be part of
You wonder why I pout
Why I don’t yield to your command
Though you think I get tender loving care
There is something that makes me tense
My muscles are tired
My bones are weary
They are exercised daily
They love to stay strong
Strength is not just measured
By the weights one can hold
But also by how flexible
One can bend with grace
So I need to tell you
How to make me happy
All I need is a massage
Then all should be well
I’ve been working on my left hand for about three months. I underwent surgery to fix broken bones. It has been a slow process. The doctor declared me “healed,” but I don’t feel healed - even though I’m far ahead from the first time the splint was taken off and the brace was put on. At that time, the nurse told me that I should restrict lifting anything heavier than a cup of coffee with my left hand. That seemed so heavy, a cup of coffee! My proud accomplishments were to hold a cup of coffee and tip it to my lips, and to shampoo my hair with my left hand. After the brace was taken out almost two months ago, I could do a lot more, but my left hand still feels injured. I can still feel the restriction of the muscles and tendons that hold things together and allow for smooth and painless movements. I faithfully perform the exercises to strengthen and stretch my fingers and wrist and arm, but my progress has not been a complete success. I come to think of my endeavor as one of “taming of the shrew.” The shrew here is my left hand. I am determined that one day it will yield to me. One day I won’t feel any resistance when I bend it one way or another. One morning when I wake up, I can close my fingers into a fist. One day my many friends will say “I told you so, you’ll be back to normal.” One day I will be able to counsel those who have doubts about their hand injury recoveries. One day I don’t even remember the struggle I had in regaining mobility to my left hand. It will be in the distant past. I don’t know if old age is working against my progress and if determination is enough. But determine I must. I must. I must. The shrew must be tamed.
