五絕：冬旅
春遙雪路長
眉冷任風揚
散髮飄衣袂
懷梅獨步香
(平水韻下平七陽）
——颺
In this short poem of mine, I am making my way to spring which is still out of sight. Winter is with me definitely, and so is a plum blossom. I may be alone, but I am not lonely. How can I be lonely if I keep a plum blossom close to my heart?
Did I mention that winter is with me? Actually, winter was with me, big time. Back then, I dated a Chicago girl, now my fiancée who likes to be called a plum blossom in Chinese.
It was a January day of all days. I had the audacity to invite my new date to a winter walk on Chicago’s Lakefront of all places. That would impress her, I believed, if she knew how much I was eager to take on the notorious winter of her hometown -- for her. She’d better give a serious guy a serious chance.
Indeed, she was impressed, although a hint of doubt did make her brows knit for a few seconds: “Are you sure about that?” I nodded, smiling or grinning.
In summer, it’s easy enough to cover the walking distance between Grant Park (our starting point) and the Navy Pier (our destination) in a breeze. On that snowy winter day, however, the temperature was free-falling. I wasn’t even sure I had bundled myself up against the biting cold.
No surrender to Chicago or North Pole.
Suddenly, my new date waved her hands. A rolling Navy Pier trolley stopped for us.
Snow drifted by outside when she pointed me to this and that landmarks on our well-covered trolley trip. I had never been so quiet, listening to a caressing voice.
卜算子：遇
不必問前生
早在前生見
回首江南細雪飄
紅傘羞羞轉
泥許印緣深
路許春迎面
來世天涯半醒時
半夢今生戀
韻：詞林正韻第七部去聲
譜：龍榆生「卜算子」定格
—— 颺
