collaborative Haiku Poem – Swiss Chard (ふだん草）

leafy vegetable
continual harvest
Swiss chard

(Yoko version)
菜は茂りあくせく収穫ふだん草
な は しげり　あくせく しゅうかく　ふだんそう

rainbow stems
grow quickly after the harvest
non-stop grass

(Michiko version)
虹の茎ぐんぐん育つ不断草
にじ の くき　ぐんぐん そだつ　ふだんそう

In our kitchen garden this summer, instead of usual cucumbers, tomatoes and eggplants, rainbow Swiss chard was planted. The stem of these chards are red, white and yellow, thus named rainbow. I was a little worried because this was the first time I grew leafy vegetables. The worries were unnecessary. The chard grew so well that harvesting often fell behind. It became trying to finish consuming the vegetable which kept growing. Japanese name for chard is Fudanso, or non-stop grass. How true!

　今夏はこれまでのキュウリ、トマト、なすの代わりにレインボースイスチャードを植えてみました。茎が赤、白、黄色と色とりどりであるところからレインボーの名が付いています。菜っ葉類を植えたのは初めてでしたので出来が心配でしたが、心配無用、収穫するのが間に合わぬほどどっさり出来、食べきるのに閉口しました。和名はふだん草（不断草）、全くその通りです。

Collaborative Haiku Poem
– Yoko Kelley and Nakamura Michiko
– Illustration by Norman Kelley
Omaha, Nebraska
ネブラスカ州オマハ市
ヨーコ＆ノーマン ケリー