91. Umeshu is a poem about time.
Winter still lingers, the leaves have yet to appear.
A poem by Chiyo-jo (1703-75), the daughter of a picture framer.
“I did not become a nun because I was disillusioned with the world,” she said, “but because I became anxious about the rapid passage of time.”
That is also a beautiful poem.
Drinking umeshu–plum liqueur–is yet another poem about time. It can only be made when the green ume arrive in May and it takes at least nine months to ripen: a sip is full of anticipation of this coming spring and the swallow full of nostalgia for past ones.
I didn’t label these properly: the big jar was actually made on May 25, 2021 and the small one on May 23 2020.