A courtyard of Chinese scholar trees stood watch over half a lifetime of ups and downs.
They parted when the scholar-tree blossoms opened that year, and spent the rest of their lives on opposite ends of the world.
She waited seventy-four years, her black hair turning white, guarding their engagement and her memories alone.
Her young grandson witnessed the triumphant return of the martyrs and resolved to wear a military uniform as an honor guard, so he could bring his grandmother's husband home to his native soil.
The land and rivers did not betray her wait. At last, the loyal soul returned home. Beneath the scholar trees, she found her resting place and fulfilled the longing she had carried all her life.
