The two poems given here concern aspects of Japanese culture, both ancient and contemporary. I have included notes to explain the cultural connections.

Ijin *

a sharp knife
on an empty plate
the winter wind
wheezing through the iron gate
a stranger in the snow


* The folklore of Japan is full of references to the mysterious figure of a Stranger, who wanders into a village from an unknown ‘outside’ world. This ijin could be a traveler, such as a tinker or priest or performer, or he could be a foreigner, or a supernatural being. Regardless, he is different from us, and therefore he is excluded from the network of relationships which comprise our community. (paraphrased from an essay by Carmen Blacker, “The Folklore of the Stranger”)



The Curse of the Colonel

so much depends
on the old man
with white hair
beside the red wheelbarrow
eating fried chicken


The Curse of the Colonel is a Japanese urban legend regarding a curse placed on the Hanshin Tigers baseball team by the ghost of KFC founder and mascot Colonel Sanders. The curse was said to be placed on the team because of the Colonel's anger that one of his store-front statues was thrown into a river by fans celebrating their team's 1985 pennant. The curse was eventually broken this year when the Tigers won the 2023 Japan Series for their first championship since 1985, a victory that led to wild celebrations in Osaka.