POEM: walking with Basho

walking with Basho

morning and evening
someone waits at Matsushima!
one-sided love

I know how she feels
though there are no pine trees
outside my lonely window

viewing the moon
no one at the party
has such a beautiful face

they are all lovely
in a way I find hard to describe
the scent of tea from the kitchen

in the world outside
is it harvesting time?
the grass of my hut

indoors all day
birdsong as I read the paper
sun warming the room

speaking out
my lips are cold
in autumn wind

I want to kiss you
though I know I can’t
so I picked two yellow flowers

I didn’t die!
the end of a journey
is autumn nightfall

if I am not stronger
at least my feet are toughened
by the stones on this path

from this very day
erase the inscription with dew
on the bamboo hat

starting out again
through the tall grass
where no one has blazed a trail

25 February 2013
Auburn, AL

/ / /

I first read the work of Japanese poet and travel writer Matsuo Basho in 1991, when I was living in northern Japan, in a town he’d once passed through. I’ve been inspired by his style and his daring ever since. The italicized sections of this poem are haiku poems written by Basho. The non-italicized sections are mine. If you’ve never read any of Basho’s travel journals, I recommend Back Roads to Far Towns: Basho’s Oku-No-Hosomichi (Ecco Travels).

I’ve written about Basho before

• “PA Diary: The Poet, The Monk, The Knight”
• POEM: “Matsushima”
• POEM: “Ah, Basho, who were you really?”