From AQUAMARINE

1.  on parting

     buy
     good
     mud
     for flowers,
     don't
     get mad
     at a
     cactus
     on part-
                  ing
          *
     a party
     goes
     on as
     long
     as spoons
     bend
     in cock-
                 tails
          *
     sing
          a spider
                      's
          web
       song
     to solace
                     your prize.
 
2.  a wild wind

     after
     midnight
     when
     a tiger
     meets
     a rabbit,
     what
     will he
                      eat?
          *
     as
     monks
     in
     black
     meditate

                           bats
                          hang
                        upside
                          down
                     sounding
                          alarm
          *
     when you
     sense
     a wall
     in the
              dark
                 lean
                    on a
                        wild
                           wind.

3.  ubiquitous zero

     a bird's-eye view
                of a medieval city
                           before going to bed
     with a
     glass
     of wine -
                    all roads
     closed
     in the
     valley
                    below
          *
     separate greens
                from plastic
                           for disposal,
     ubiquitous
     zero
     unites
     with
     every
     oxygen
          *
     miraculous birth
               of goldfish
                         at sea bottom
     out
     of
     shadows
     in
     water
     into
     sparkling
                         light.


Ekleksographia #1

January  2009

Poems

Yoko Danno

Yoko Danno was born, raised and educated in Japan. A graduate of Kobe College, she writes poetry solely in English for almost 40 years. She has published several chapbooks including Passage ’77, Four Songs (reprinted in the International Anthology of Poetry and Prose 47 by New Directions, New York, 1983) and Portraits ’78. She is the author of five books of poetry: trilogy (1970, 2004), Hagoromo: A Celestial Robe (1984, 2004), Dusty Mirror (1977) – (all by The Ikuta Press, Kobe), Epitaph for memories (by The Bunny and Crocodile Press, Washington D.C., 2002) and The Blue Door (written in collaboration with James C. Hopkins, published by The Word Works, Washington D.C., 2006). Her most recent books are: Songs and Stories of the Kojiki (compiled in the 8th century, Japan, and retold in English by her) published by Ahadada Books (2008) and A Sleeping Tiger Dreams of Manhattan, simultaneous poetry, photographs and sound, collaborated with James C. Hopkins and Bernard Stoltz (The Ikuta Press, 2008).