LatinosUSA

Seasonal winds shift with the changing temperatures of land and sea.

Sometimes they arrive too cold to linger, sometimes they are driven away by scorching heat. Rarely do they stay.

Their songs are stored in the clouds, waiting for the storm to pass. Yet the air they need to soar is drained; they are grounded, watched, and silenced. Friends who once delighted in their breeze now face threats of their own.

“Let’s sail,” they whisper. Their lyrics remain hidden in the clouds—passwords to freedom encrypted in banned poems and essays. When the waves rise, they endure the hardships, crossing turbulent waters with resolve.

In a new world, towering shelves of books form protective walls. Within them lies truth, shielding against floods of lies and rekindling resistance. A cat glides by, its silhouette framed in sunlight. It crouches, yawns, and claims its ground—dignified, untouchable.

The messages on the fluttering A4 papers won’t be unheard, the footprints over the December snow won’t be erased. Seasonal Winds are gathering strength, ready to summon greater waves.

Author’s Note: Seasonal Winds/季風書園, a bookstore born in Shanghai and devoted to freedom of thought, relocated to Washington, D.C. in 2024 after enduring relentless harassment from the Chinese authoritarian regime.