Atarashī Kodō ga Hajimaru Shunken

                                                      Only a moment after she placed her left hand lightly
                                                               beneath the folds of her new silk kimono
                                                      and held it there, like that, for just a moment longer ..

                                                     It must have been that second moment surely when
                                                           those fingertips carelessly, caressed her belly
                                                         she first felt and became aware of Hajimi kodo ..

                                                 Then she could not stop the smile from forming, nor did
                                                         she want to hide it from her lover, yet both knew
                                                   she would need a new set of netsuke, before summer ..

                                              To protect her modesty of course and save her blushes from
                                                     the prying eyes and wagging tongues of springtime
                                            once the snow had melted and the cherry blossom flowered ..