Reflections March 26, 2011

Sendai

We were in Labrador when the tsunami destroyed Sendai. The images of waves rushing across the countryside were indelible. I wanted to create an image of how life there unfolded moments before it was swept away, much like the depiction of life in Hiroshima from Hadashi no Gen. Of course, people were already shaken by the quake and many had heard tsunami warnings, so this poem is pbest thought of as the way it was the day before the calamity.

Poetry is a Rap

I didn’t want to write only about the disaster, so this was a Kanye-inspired treatise on why I write.

Fear of Rain

The first day back in Japan and the unending news reports from Fukushima gave the whole scene a sinister air. Even snow crystals became objects of fear.

Dear Mother Earth

Just a note on the fridge for the Earth.

untitled

Just a recollection of the trip to Labrador to see nan and how that tranquility and hope morphed into alarm and despair back in Japan.

Ode to the Outlet Store

Bit of a boring place. No clocks so it seems outside of time, no newspapers in the convenience so a man can’t escape from shopping and immerse himself in the affairs of the world. Seems like a sinister plot, in a way.

Ode to Chernobyl Scubadivers

I read several first-hand accounts that were very lyric. I didn’t so much write this as rearrange what I had read.

The Young Cousins

Vic, Cath, Phil, myself, and Clint as we all were and are. I am at the age where I finally realize the importance of keeping in touch and regret how we have drifted apart. Something I hope to remedy hereon in.

The Next Life

I once heard a prof complain her plumber made more and went on more vacations to wilder places than she did. Fixing toilets seems a small price to pay for honest, well-paying work.

Tiger Lady

For Tomiko.

How I Teach

My philosophy is a mix of what I’ve learned in martial arts, from my dad, during my B Ed, and from life in general. It’s not perfect, but it works for me right now. Just as I urge my students to come to me with an empty cup, I never think mine is full. There is always more to learn.

Shore It Up

A weak poem, much like a Canadian prog-rock song. Still, sometimes it needs to be said.

Nature In Humans

Children especially can have that innocent evil in them. As adults, we have to face that and strive towards a humane humanity and humility.

The Spider

As above.

The Truth About Superheroes

This poem bothered me hours after I wrote it – did it come off as homophobic? Then I realized that those intimations were already there in the source material. Must write something similar about Marvell one day. Comics characters are the new mythic figures, so writing about superheroes is the same as dedicating an ode to Aphrodite, in my opinion.