ObonThe element of surprise
on that ancient dirt path
heavy velvet night warm
with the scent of ginger and fried fish
and the sound of Japanese
wives washing up their dishes
It will be the kiss by which all others are judged
.
.
Willow, 2009
photo from flickr
photo from flickr
click HERE for more on Obon
Oooo Willow. That was excellent.
ReplyDeleteWow, I'm first!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great flash of a poem, full of sight, sound and sensuality and within so small a space. Good, good.
Beautiful poem--well done!
ReplyDeleteDamn. I waited a moment too long! Well, second's good too...
ReplyDeleteI'll shut up now...
ReplyDeletebeautiful poetry, really. and I agree with dick, gets all your senses. And that he should shut up. LOL JUST KIDDING!! I don't even know dick, but I like him already...
ReplyDeleteBeautiful and sensuous poem, Willow.
ReplyDelete"The kiss by which all others will be judged"--
I would both want and fear such a kiss.
wow. in a few brief lines i was right there...excellent.
ReplyDeleteI can hear cicadas. In the poem. I am on the path and I can hear them.
ReplyDeleteEcho the above - short poem, permanent impact. Really liked it.
ReplyDeletehi willow, kisses - a space opens up in that little intimacy.
ReplyDeletesuch a space.
it can be the whole world, (and you can feel it as it arrives) it can be the vaguest memory of softness (and it echoes for so long).
i love that you have captured a kiss inside a moment unfolding. redolent with sound and taste and smell. complete.
this is beautiful writing!!!
thankyou.
steven
Steven said it all didn't he?! Beautiful poem Willow!
ReplyDeletewas gonna ask what is 'obon'...now i know...excellant poem as always...wish i knew your inspiration!
ReplyDeleteWillow, that was really good. I mean it, excellent.
ReplyDeleteVery cool, Willow, and beautiful. All senses brought into play. (and btw, if people don't read the comments, just look at what they're missing! LOL)
ReplyDeleteThat first kiss...hmmm....a wonderful memory!
ReplyDeleteOh yes, our bloggy friend, Tulsa from The Art of Living in Japan recently went to Nagasaki to honor her late father-in-law.
ReplyDeleteGreat poem, Willow.
Betsy, although not a first kiss, a memorable one!
ReplyDeleteWhen all the senses are present
ReplyDeletethat is one helluva party :)
An affair to remember.
Peace - Rene
Lovely summation of the senses!
ReplyDeleteWhat Steven said.
ReplyDeleteExactly like that.
Only he said it a thousand times better than I could have.
AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI hate cliche words like that. But I can think of no other on this tired night.
Every time I see Rx Bambi she is talking about dick, just an observation! LMAO! Bambs, you always leave me a good opening, that is why I love you! Great Poem!!!!!
ReplyDeleteVelvet, dangerous writing. Thinking about Johnny inspiring you? Mmm??? I would love to hear some time the inspiration for you writing this. In how it came to you. It sounds so perfect and complete. I wonder if that's how the process was? xx
ReplyDeleteWillow--I just heard a spot on our local radio station out of Davis, Calif. regarding a poetry contest. I will find out the info and email it to you because I certainly think that you would be a contender! I don't know if the cash prizes are very big but I do think that you get published. That's something!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Teri! I'll watch for it in my email. :^)
ReplyDeleteWillow, that was perfect. In a few short lines you transported me fully. I can feel the night on my skin!
ReplyDeleteYou have real talent.
It only takes a few lines to incorporate all our senses. Very good!
ReplyDeleteNot bad. Not bad AT ALL!
ReplyDeletebeautiful post all around - the poem is wonderful Willow :)
ReplyDeletemmmmmmm......so sensuous.....
ReplyDeleteMMMMmmmmm...ginger and fried fish! Sniff...I can totally smell that.
ReplyDeleteLovely and unexpected.
ReplyDeleteGreat work. Loved it...
ReplyDeletexoxo
Wow ! Willow, that is a GREAT poem,I loved it.The sucker punch at the end is deadly, truly, deadly! And genuine thanks for all your warm wishes when I was at my worst,I'm sure they helped :)
ReplyDeleteHello Willow,
ReplyDeleteWell, howdy doody! Simply great!
Just brilliant!
ReplyDeleteThanks, everyone, for all your kind encouragement. It makes writing poetry so much fun!!!
ReplyDeletesuch imagery...I'm waiting for that kiss!
ReplyDeleteBeen to a couple of those festivals, myself. Nicely captured.
ReplyDeleteThis is absolutely gorgeous. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteWillow ,what can I say but..excellent! And that's gotta be a judgement to reckon with ;)
ReplyDeleteJust beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThat was well done!
ReplyDeleteWell done, Willow!
ReplyDeleteSimply beautiful. Rich texture and imagery. You never fail us.
ReplyDeleteWhat an engaging, sensual work of art.
ReplyDeleteWonderful! Willow strikes again. Well done. You ought to do a Blurb book and use some of your beautiful photos to illustrate it, Willow! Go for it. I'd buy one! Oh, incidentally--love the new banner. Great photo!
ReplyDeleteHow do I get to be a kissing judge? I didn't see that in the career list at school. Nice one...
ReplyDeleteooh la la !! lovely ...
ReplyDeleteand LOVE the little turtle.
I have a spider who's made her web by the spine of a book on my desk and I swear her tiny body is not half on a millimeter long - she's the most tiny spider that I've seen and I'm doing my best to not disturb her - from one spider lover to another
and hey ! a recipe over at Black Street. xo S & les Gang
Beautiful read aloud, how poetry is meant to be read.... -Jayne
ReplyDeleteWow, what a kiss!
ReplyDeleteLove your new masthead--recognize that from earlier posts. Great poem too. You are very gifted here, even the name "Oban" conjures up so much.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting. Maybe you should expand on the theme in a future post. Pappy
ReplyDeletebeautiful and powerful poem, with serious WOW factor.
ReplyDeleteI like how the spare words evoke the time and place - & anticipation. I'm a spare word person myself - jealous I didn't write it!
ReplyDeleteWhen poetry is that latin quid!
ReplyDeleteMost wonderful.
ReplyDeleteshort but sweet, just like a ....kiss :)
ReplyDeleteoh I love it Willow!Siomple yet so intense!:)
ReplyDeleteSo incredibly atmospheric, Willow. Really nice work.
ReplyDeleteReally beautiful..so difficult to choose a few words that convey all those senses and emotions.
ReplyDeleteThanks for shaing.
Hmm willow - very deep that poem - must have been some kiss I think.
ReplyDeleteWeaver, it was one of those once-in-a-lifetime magical moments.
ReplyDeleteI love the setting, at Obon time, when magic happens, between this life and the other - and the first line is brilliant, like a samurai sword being wielded with care.
ReplyDeleteWonderful Willow :)
This was very good though I cannot remember Japanese doing dishes in 1953. I suspect they did but I just don't remember it. They only used one or two things and chopsticks. Workers used a tin box a little larger than a sardine can to pack boiled rice in. They ate with chopsticks. At hope soup was literally slurped out of the bowl, and profound belches were expected. Those bowls were smaller than our cereal bowls but deeper. I guess they washed them but I don't remember seeing them being washed.
ReplyDeleteThis post brought back a ton of memories.
Well, Abe, maybe it was just the sound of women cleaning up after dinner. Afterall, the kiss was a bit distracting. ;^)
ReplyDeleteShaista, you're right! I didn't think of it that way, but very much the element of surprise, like a samurai sword. Brilliant observation. I like that.
ReplyDeletePS...I've had trouble logging in to leave a comment on your blog! Any suggestions?
Hi! Willow,
ReplyDeleteWhat a very nice, mysterious? romantic? poem...as a matter of fact, I think the entire setting...
(The flickering light set against your black template)
...that you have presented here is very..."beautiful"
Once again!
Thanks, for sharing...The link too!
DeeDee ;-D
Ah, romance
ReplyDeleteyou have captured the elusive
the sensual
the slightly enigmatic
and magic
What a kiss!!
Wow very different take this week.
ReplyDeleteThere are some kisses you just don't ever forget.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful poem Willow.
Hmmmm ... interesting ... ;)
ReplyDeleteVery beautiful!! I love this
ReplyDeleteOh Willow, your beautiful words just danced across the screen with this post!
ReplyDeleteMillie ^_^
P.S. Interesting that you're thinking that the neck is a dead give-away at Manor Events. I caught a glimpse of the backs of my hands as I was driving today & nearly ran off the road. Some evil force has substituted mine with my Mother's overnight.
BRILLIANT X
ReplyDeleteI think we all have one we judge by. What a lovely post :-)
ReplyDelete