Michio Mado

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Upon Facing Death

Dear God,
I thank you
for letting me,
a scrawny spoon,
scoop from the ocean just once
The ocean
was beautiful
Carefully holding
this drop of
glorious sunset
I will come
to make an offering
to you

© Translation: 1999, Takako Lento
From: Masters of Modern Japanese Poetry
Publisher: The Morris-Lee Publishing Group, Rosemont, New Jersey, 1999

UPON FACING DEATH

From: Masters of Modern Japanese Poetry
Publisher: The Morris-Lee Publishing Group, Rosemont, New Jersey

Michio Mado

(Japan, 1909 - 2014)

For the last half a century, literally everyone in Japan, of any age, has been familiar with the children’s song ‘Little Elephant’. This, and other well-known songs by the same writer, are almost as popular as Mother Goose nursery rhymes in the English-speaking world. But not many knew that these verses were written by a man named Michio Mado, and even fewer were aware that Mado was in fact a s...

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Upon Facing Death

Dear God,
I thank you
for letting me,
a scrawny spoon,
scoop from the ocean just once
The ocean
was beautiful
Carefully holding
this drop of
glorious sunset
I will come
to make an offering
to you

© 1999, Takako Lento
From: Masters of Modern Japanese Poetry
Publisher: 1999, The Morris-Lee Publishing Group, Rosemont, New Jersey

Upon Facing Death

Dear God,
I thank you
for letting me,
a scrawny spoon,
scoop from the ocean just once
The ocean
was beautiful
Carefully holding
this drop of
glorious sunset
I will come
to make an offering
to you

© 1999, Takako Lento
From: Masters of Modern Japanese Poetry
Publisher: 1999, The Morris-Lee Publishing Group, Rosemont, New Jersey