"Because it has lived its life intensely
the parched grass still attracts the gaze of passers-by.
The flowers merely flower,
and they do this as well as they can.
The white lily, blooming unseen in the valley,
Does not need to explain itself to anyone;
It lives merely for beauty,
Men, however, cannot accept that 'merely'.
If tomatoes wanted to be melons,
they would look completely ridiculous.
I am always amazed
that so many people are concerned
with wanting to be what they are not;
what's the point of making yourself look ridiculous?
You don't always have to pretend to be strong,
there's no need to prove all the time that everything is
going well,
you shouldn't be concerned about what other people are
thinking,
cry if you need to,
it's good to cry out all your tears
(because only then will you be able to smile again)."
Mitsuo Aida (1924-91), Japanese poet & calligrapher
