poetry

black & white sunday: after and before

A bamboo sprout

Picked too soon-

It would bloom in glory

But for man

~Issa (trans: N Yuasa: The Year of My Life)

irisbnw

In the above haiku, Issa has written about imaginary blossoms.  Yuasa notes that bamboo sprouts are harvested when they are young and soft and that they bear no flowers even if they are left to grow.  After: “alternative facts”  Before: “imaginary blossoms”

iris

lost in translation

black & white sunday: darkness and light

Purple butterflies

fly at night through my dreams.

Butterflies, tell me,

have you seen in my village

the falling flowers of the wisteria?

~Yosano Akiko*

photofridaypets

Sleeping Enya submitted in response to Lost in Translation’s photo challenge

*cited:

Women Poets of Japan

K Rexroth & I Atsumi

 

 

today is Sunday

Did you see in the shadowy woods

a branch grew, leaves came out

of a girl’s pliant extended arms

and quickly became a tree?

Did you see?

A youth stood by the tree,

took off his deep blue coat,

and in a moment became a dove?

(The telephone keeps ringing, ringing.

No one answers, nobody is there, today is Sunday)

… ~Shinkawa Kazue*

bluebnw

*cited:

Women Poets of Japan

K Rexroth & I Atsumi