At the End of the World

At the end of the world great bears sleep under drifts, Cardinal crowned Cranes sing and dance in joyous union. Long winters blossomed by colourful spring and autumn. Sweet summers vibrate with labouring European bees As rowdy Sika deer wander this hardy land of contrasts. Dragons breath seeps from deep earth’s core to sculpt And create a soulful oasis within turmoil and bedlam. Here the Ainu live in concord with nature’s seasons. Bowing to midwives of our world protecting life’s wonders I salute your gifts you leave us though I will never see Your wondrous habitat of Hokkaido’s land of extreme, To witness the land where great bears sleep under drifts.