August

By the lake, a wooden staircase stood out. It was a simple viewing platform. Something stirred on the water’s surface. From above, through bare shrubs, I glimpsed white specks floating swans. Their feathers gleamed, long necks curved, reflections clear in still water. Some pecked at the surface, others preened, and a few drifted alone. Further…

I’m sitting on a sofa, glimpsing through the window the clear blue sky with some puffy clouds. One big white cloud is forming over the fir trees, shaped like a large pig, and then slowly drifting westward. After a while, the sky darkens but instantly brightens. The fir branches swing in the breeze. Inside the…

生怕惊扰了它，我放慢脚步。
早春的枝条还瘦，只冒出几点嫩芽。

Yesterday, I had lunch with my classmates. Aya, one of my classmates from Japan, invited us to her house. As soon as I entered her cozy kitchen, I saw fried mashed potato balls and sweet potato fries with sesame placed on the kitchen counter. Soon after, she showed us how to make sushi, and it…