The Seasons

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A cherry blossom,

young, surprised, fell through blue space,

down, down, and through time.

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The cacophony

of the cicadas was crushed

by callous, hot cries.

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The moon waxed, ripened

with love, hate, war, and our strength;

Friends and enemies.

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A white and red crane,

victorious in battle,

waits, lonely, for spring.

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--

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A/N: Don't know about you all, but it still boggles my mind to think that the entire 500+ chap epic known as Inuyasha took place in one year. But I took a crack at showing the four seasons as they might have developed in haikus. I included in each one a symbol of that season (sakura, or cherry blossoms for spring, cicadas for summer, moon for autumn, crane for winter). There's also some cross-symbolism, if you can call it that. For example, I compare Kagome to a cherry blossom because young women often are (hence the popularity of the female name Sakura), and because I thought it fit so well: both are young, just blooming (in the context of this poem), and pure. And both, conveniently, fall a lot in spring. (Which is when the manga begins, for those who don't know; it was at the beginning of the school year, because the Japanese school year starts in spring). Also, the cicadas are quite obnoxious--almost as obnoxious as our favorite couple's scream-fests, I'd imagine. Not too subtle with that one...And neither was the moon for autumn. Everything was coming to a head, building and groaning with tension, ripening much like the autumn moon. And as for winter--well, I couldn't resist the crane. Even if it's not the most common symbol of winter, it is a very commonly used symbol of longevity and long-lasting love, as cranes mate for life.