FUJITOMI YASUO
The Returning Visitor
A caged crow:
slowly its tension released
caw caw it chuckles.
Gently the cage door opens
and in the corridor stands
the black woman, now transformed.
Seems like everyone's sleeping,
faintly snoring.
Off the walls, snoring echoes:
I am having a great success today.
Her face is stuck on
Deep breath:
first she goes to the kitchen refrigerator.
Beady-eyed, she peeps inside
and again nothing but bad manners.
She takes out beer
and cheese,
at the table stately sits the queen.
Throat cackle-like lone supper.
From the plumbing's snakemouth,
a cute water drop drops.
If its time is past living things
thus spontaneously morph into god's providence.
Such gibberish;
that'll be all today.
Looking through the window
moon's rays slantwise inserted
the black woman's noire costume brings out the luster.
The reflection on herself - graceful figure --
when she forgets herself.
Who's there someone shouts out loud
walking off without hesitating
well, gotta run
she in night's darkness flew away.
Fujitomi Yasuo is a noted scholar with critical biographies of Kitasono Katue & Eric Satie. His spoken word CD, whatnever (highmoonoon) is packaged bilingually with English translations by John Solt. Fujitomi's column on the cultural background of odd Japanese and English expressions has been published for over 20 years in Gui, Japan's most avant-garde literary publication.
Translation by Taylor Mignon