Wingbeats
by Ruri Hazama
translated by Amelia Fielden
preferring
silence
to ten thousand words,
I am restricted
now by this pause
the lyrics
may not be clear,
but this evening
there's a bossa nova
I want to enfold me
slowly, like a boat
going through water
which yields
to its oars,
I read a novel
softly, Casal's cello
begins to talk
with the gentle flapping
of dove wings
in the Sabbath sky
I had thoughts
of putting an end
to my playing
but the recollection
of the notes lingers on
there are times
when I waver
from music to words ---
it's so easy to rest
in the concrete
Ruri Hazama is a graduate of Tokyo Woman's University. In the mid 80s she
and her husband lived in the USA, where their first son was born. She returned
to Japan in 1990, where she became a member of Tanka-Jin, one of the large
Japanese tanka organizations. She received the 31st Critique and Essay Prize
from Tanka-Jin in 2005, and she became an editor of The Tanka Journal in 2006.
She works as a secretary at the Institute of Statistical Mathematics.
Ruri Hazama is a graduate of Tokyo Woman's University. In the mid 80s she
and her husband lived in the USA, where their first son was born. She returned
to Japan in 1990, where she became a member of Tanka-Jin, one of the large
Japanese tanka organizations. She received the 31st Critique and Essay Prize
from Tanka-Jin in 2005, and she became an editor of The Tanka Journal in 2006.
She works as a secretary at the Institute of Statistical Mathematics.