Allow me to suspect that the mirror in the Japanesey thing--people have
lectured me on how the American version of haiku misses what is essential about
the form-- became deep because the shallow one simply had too many syllables.
I enjoyed the encounter poem's vividness: the picture in my mind has lots of
detail not mentioned. I do like ponies, so I may be predisposed. Question for
the assembled multitude: do dry swans bow differently from wet ones? Why?
Discuss on the back of a postcard...
David Ritchie,
Portland, Oregong
A strange old man
Stops me,
Looking out of my deep mirror.
-- Hitomaro
And this by James Wright:
Just off the highway to Rochester, Minnesota,
Twilight bounds softly forth on the grass.
And the eyes of those two Indian ponies
Darken with kindness.
They have come gladly out of the willows
To welcome my friend and me.
We step over the barbed wire into the pasture
Where they have been grazing all day, alone.
They ripple tensely, they can hardly contain their happiness
That we have come.
They bow shyly as wet swans. They love each other.
There is no loneliness like theirs.
At home once more,
They begin munching the young tufts of spring in the darkness.
I would like to hold the slenderer one in my arms,
For she has walked over to me
And nuzzled my left hand.
She is black and white,
Her mane falls wild on her forehead,
And the light breeze moves me to caress her long ear
That is delicate as the skin over a girl’s wrist.
Suddenly I realize
That if I stepped out of my body I would break
Into blossom.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I do truly like these two -- among hundreds and hundreds hundreds of other.
They add up to nothing. That's OK, I hate algebra.
