☔️

Unbeaten by rain.
Unbeaten by wind.
Snow and summer heat can’t touch me.

Strong body.
No wants.
Never mad.
Quiet smile, always.

Four bowls of rice a day.
A little miso, a few vegetables.

Leave yourself out.
Look, listen, get it.
Don’t forget.

A small hut under the pines in the field.

East, a sick kid: go take care.
West, a tired mother: go carry her rice.
South, someone dying: tell them don’t worry.
North, a stupid fight: tell them to quit it.

Crying in the dry heat.
Lost in a cold summer.

They call me a fool.
No applause.
No complaints.

That’s who I want to be.

Kenji Miyazawa, Ame ni mo Makezu (雨ニモマケズ), 1931.