Flower, Why Are You In The City of Man? (繁市中的花儿)

I've had enough time to...   lament for the flowers in the City of Man

Taken from a moving vehicle in the City of Yangon, Myanmar

Flower in the city

You are out of place

You do not belong here

Among rusty and stainless steel

The sun burns you

The night offers no sleep

You are valued only for your freshness

But your freshness doesn’t keep

The city sucks all vitality

The remains to the rubbish heap

This is the way the city lives

您孤立此地

此处非你所属

在钢铁与锈之间

烈日噬干您

入夜不得眠

鲜绿是您所有

奈何不持久

城市吸走您的生命力

残骸归废墟

这就是繁市生活之道

The fields and the mountains

They are so far away…

Flower, why are you here -

In the city of man?

田野与山丘

遥不可及

花儿啊，你为何身在此处

在人群的市中

(Many thanks to a dear friend for the translation into Mandarin)

We Always Reap What We Sow.

I've had just enough time to...   continue sowing...

Taken during near a river bank in Kuching, East Malaysia.

“We reap what we sow”

Not always

But it should not be for lack of trying

It should not be for lack of hoping

It should not be for lack of sacrificing

We do what we can

And hope for a bountiful harvest

Not always

But we should not give up

We should not give in

We should just sow some more

And hope for a bountiful harvest

Not always for

It may not be what we hope for

Nor the harvest we look for but

“We always reap what we sow”

_______

The Harvest Song

《丰收歌》女声合唱·中央民族乐团合唱团

Waiting For A Flower To Bloom.

I've had just enough time...  to wait for a flower to bloom.

Taken on top Maxwell Hill

Much that you want -

To see a flower.

You must have the patience

To wait for its bloom.

The World Has No Need of Another Peacock.

I've had just enough time...   to accept me for what I am.

Taken on top of Maxwell Hill

 "Dear robin," said this sad young flower,
"Perhaps you'd not mind trying
To find a nice white frill for me,
Some day when you are flying?"

"You silly thing!" the robin said;
"I think you must be crazy!
I'd rather be my honest self
Than any made-up daisy.

 "You're nicer in your own bright gown,
The little children love you;
Be the best buttercup you can,
And think no flower above you.

 "Though swallows leave me out of sight,
We'd better keep our places;
Perhaps the world would all go wrong
With one too many daisies.

 "Look bravely up into the sky,
And be content with knowing
That God wished for a buttercup
Just here, where you are growing."
"Discontent" - Sarah Orne Jewett

I learn to appreciate

What I am.

A tiny flower

With a tenacity to grow

On hard surfaces.