SAKURA

Natalia Papierniak

Luke A Williams

For Aria May you create beauty in this world.

August 2013

Sakura, the lady who lived in a seed, Decided her lifestyle was too cramped, indeed. She said Some new scenerys just what I need And moved into a soil patch next to a weed.

She settled her home in the city of Teien And worked hard on building it day out and day in. Made roots to give fresh food and water a way in To ensure her new home was the nicest to stay in.

Sakura made friends with her neighbor Kisagi He had a tall house but was messy and grubby. Sakura was happy, she thought herself lucky. He always helped out when the rain made things gluggy.

With her roots all extended in intricate weaves She is filled by the water and food she receives And knowing what hard work and effort achieves She turned her attention to making some leaves.

She built her leaves wide, green and facing the sun, If this is hard work, she thought, working is fun! She built pipes to the leaves through which water could run, And when she was finished, thought why stop at one?

Her leaves helped her turn rays of sunlight to strength As she grew them in thickness and width and in length, They drank up the water when rainclouds would drench, And she made bigger roots so their thirst she could quench.

She built her house strong and she built her house tall. How quickly time flies when youre having a ball! From height she saw Teien like a natural mall And Sakura resolved that shed open a stall.

Every leaf was a platform, the flowers were shops, All the pollens and seeds were enticing new crops. Beetle car traffic and mushroom bus stops, All guided by blue-grey and white spider cops.

The colourful Teien was vibrant and bright With a hundred tall neighbors all bathing in light And the sky all a-flutter with creatures in flight Sakura transfixed on the wonderful sight.

A businessman bee buzzing busily by; A sunflower seed store stares straight at the sky; A hummingbird helping himself hovers high; A flutter of butterflys gentle and shy.

As Sakura watched on from the top of her tower Upon this grand scene all majestic with power. She wondered and hoped and she thought for an hour She announced What Ill make is a beautiful flower!

A flower so pretty the whole town will agree its beautiful, fragrant like sunshine and glee. Itll serve nectar thats fit for the royal queen bee. Itll bring them from far distant gardens to see it.

In a little green flowerpod, hidden from view, Sakura made petals of every hue, Of gold, crimson, violet, indigo, blue, She used every colour that anyone knew.

When every last fibre was carefully twirled In its delicate studio, packed in and curled. It was time that her masterpiece finally unfurled, So she opened Sakuras Place out to the world.

All of Teien came to see her and visit, And all who passed by couldnt possibly miss it. The ant children pointed and asked Oh! What is it? Riding in on the back of a traveling lizard.

The bees all adored her delectable nectar, The proudest petunias just had to respect her For that, but she didnt let her fame affect her. She maintained a place to please any inspector.

Time passes and Sakuras stardom enhances. The bees spread the news of the story in dances, With moves for the questions and grooves for the answers, While others watch on in ecstatic trances.

Sakura, they said, no one compares to you, But your flowers so busy theres always a queue! If only we had not one flower, but two. Sakura just smiled. She knew what to do.

She placed with the bees a most curious order, Exotic ingredients beyond the border. The finest things all of Teien could afford her, To make a new seed; to design a new daughter.

Her new task absorbed the devoted Sakura. If her heart was pure then the seed must be purer. There are no second chances when all at once youre a Designer and builder and fixer and curer.

She filled up a seed pod all green leafy skinned, With an opening slit that shed carefully thinned, When the seed pod was finished she stopped and she grinned And released the young seedlings out into the wind.

The seeds traveled far, gravity could not foil The spread of the fruit of her labour and toil. Through the drift of the air current eddy and coil Her seeds found new homes in the fertile soil.

Sakuras young daughters grew fast, before long They were making their own flowers pretty and strong. And when they would bloom the whole town came along. The chorister Lark wrote the family a song:

Few can compare to and none can exceed Her beauty and kindness in word and in deed, We might all live better to follow the lead Of Sakura, the lady who lived in a seed.