Poem
Takako Arai
Soul Dance
It crawled from the midnight mountain of rubble, a long and skinny tailA tail that writhes
It is the bowels of the soul
Glowing fluorescent green
In its half-transparent head, it bares its buck teeth
Its eyes have no center though it fixes its gaze
It undulates then leaps
It leaps
I won’t eat the flesh of human necks, they’re too hard
People are no good at handling things
They just bow over and over like fools
I could soften them with vinegar
A gutter comes apart at the joints
And dirty water splashes on the road below
The soul-goblin picked at it with its claws
Before our eyes, it crosses a cable
And on the shoulder of an electrical pole
The soul does
A shake dance
Swinging its intestines back and forth
That’s how I get hungry again
The world these days is so full of trash
I’m sick of eating it, I don’t need your stupid offerings
Stretching, shrinking, it begins to digest, pulsing and green
And eventually, droplets of fire rain from its backend
A tiger cat raises its chin and sends up a yell, Meow, amigo
The soul undulates then leaps
It leaps
It leaps up
It skips over stupidly beautiful lashes upturned with an eyelash curler
It drops onto the collarbone of a boy popular because of his powerlessness
It hops down a pendulous breast that cannot resist gravity
It gallops across know-it-alls clinging to the nose hairs of authority
It undulates and leaps
It leaps, undulates, and leaps again
It leaps
A beautiful, strange intestinal bird, pulsing green
It bares its buck teeth
The garbage of Calamity-day and
Drunken-day (hiccup) both belong to the soul
Hey, shall I pick at
What time remains for you?
Grab at it? Dig into it with my claws?
But damn, it’s much too hard
It won’t turn, neither will your head
Meow, amigo
The soul taps
It steps, it shake dances
Scattering droplets of fire
It rows a bicycle
I’ve grown hungry
I’m a living, sexual, sacred body so
I’m sensitive where my body stagnates
So then
Grabbing, digging in
I’ll do gymnastics
For what time remains for you
Hey!
You, haughty good-for-nothing
That offering of durian, I won’t take it
© Translation: 2008, Jeffrey Angles
From: Soul Dance
Publisher: Mi\'te Press, Tokyo, 2008
The word “calamity day” that Arai has invented is a homonym for the word meaning Tuesday (Kayōbi). “Drunken day” is a homonym for Wednesday (Suiyōbi).
From: Soul Dance
Publisher: Mi\'te Press, Tokyo, 2008
タマシイ・ダンス
タマシイ・ダンス
真夜中の瓦礫の山から這い出した ひょろ長いしっぽのたくったしっぽ
タマシイの腸なのだ、
蛍光グリーンに点っている
半透明の(かしら)から 馬ットウムギの歯を剥き出し
黒目のない まなこを凝らして、
うねって 飛ぶ
飛ぶ
ヒトの首肉ナンテモー喰われませんヨ 固くてサ
回りもしないのにお辞儀バッカだろ
俺ネ ビネガーかけてホぐしテンノ
雨樋の継ぎ目が外れて 汚水が路上に散らばっていく
爪先で弾じいていったらしい
ケーブルをみるみるつたって 電信柱の肩先で
タマシイは、
シェイクダンスする
胃腸をぶららら揺らしている
コーシテ腹減らしてるワケサ
芥ダラケの昨今だから コッチ側ねェ 飽食なのヨ
お供えナンテなァ いらないヨ
伸び 縮み 消化をはじめる ぷるぷるグリーン
先っぽから
ようやく ほろほろ 火ノ玉サンです
タイガーキャットが顎を上げ にやァごあみィご とィエールをおくる
うねって 飛ぶ
飛ぶ
飛び上がる
ビューラーで撥ねあげた白痴美まつ毛をスキップし
非力なのが売りもののカレシの鎖骨にドロップし
重力には逆らえないある垂レ乳根でホップして
オーソリテの鼻毛に掴まるウンチク垂レにはギャロップす
うねって 飛ぶ
飛ぶ うねって 飛ぶ
飛ぶ
麗しの怪チョウぷるブリーン
馬ットウムギの歯を剥いて
禍曜日の芥も 酔曜日の芥もヒック、タマシイのモノ
オイ 弾じいてヤロウか
ソッチの ジカンを
コツン、シャーンと 爪先で
ドーモコーモ固まり過ぎダネ 回ってないネェ、オツムもサァ
にやァご あみィご
タマシイは、
タップする ステップする シェイクダンスする
火ノ玉サンと
自転車漕ぎする
腹減らしたいワケヨ
俺らはネ セー体だからカラダの淀みにビンカンなのヨ
ではネ
コツン、シャーンと
アナタの ジカンへ 体操シマス
オオイ！
そこのフンゾリカエリ、
ドリアンのお供えだって 受け取れナイよォ
© 2007, Takako Arai
From: タマシイ・ダンス （Tamashii Dansu)
Publisher: Michitani, Tokyo
From: タマシイ・ダンス （Tamashii Dansu)
Publisher: Michitani, Tokyo
Poems
Poems of Takako Arai
Close
Soul Dance
It crawled from the midnight mountain of rubble, a long and skinny tailA tail that writhes
It is the bowels of the soul
Glowing fluorescent green
In its half-transparent head, it bares its buck teeth
Its eyes have no center though it fixes its gaze
It undulates then leaps
It leaps
I won’t eat the flesh of human necks, they’re too hard
People are no good at handling things
They just bow over and over like fools
I could soften them with vinegar
A gutter comes apart at the joints
And dirty water splashes on the road below
The soul-goblin picked at it with its claws
Before our eyes, it crosses a cable
And on the shoulder of an electrical pole
The soul does
A shake dance
Swinging its intestines back and forth
That’s how I get hungry again
The world these days is so full of trash
I’m sick of eating it, I don’t need your stupid offerings
Stretching, shrinking, it begins to digest, pulsing and green
And eventually, droplets of fire rain from its backend
A tiger cat raises its chin and sends up a yell, Meow, amigo
The soul undulates then leaps
It leaps
It leaps up
It skips over stupidly beautiful lashes upturned with an eyelash curler
It drops onto the collarbone of a boy popular because of his powerlessness
It hops down a pendulous breast that cannot resist gravity
It gallops across know-it-alls clinging to the nose hairs of authority
It undulates and leaps
It leaps, undulates, and leaps again
It leaps
A beautiful, strange intestinal bird, pulsing green
It bares its buck teeth
The garbage of Calamity-day and
Drunken-day (hiccup) both belong to the soul
Hey, shall I pick at
What time remains for you?
Grab at it? Dig into it with my claws?
But damn, it’s much too hard
It won’t turn, neither will your head
Meow, amigo
The soul taps
It steps, it shake dances
Scattering droplets of fire
It rows a bicycle
I’ve grown hungry
I’m a living, sexual, sacred body so
I’m sensitive where my body stagnates
So then
Grabbing, digging in
I’ll do gymnastics
For what time remains for you
Hey!
You, haughty good-for-nothing
That offering of durian, I won’t take it
© 2008, Jeffrey Angles
From: Soul Dance
Publisher: 2008, Mi\'te Press, Tokyo
From: Soul Dance
Publisher: 2008, Mi\'te Press, Tokyo
Soul Dance
It crawled from the midnight mountain of rubble, a long and skinny tailA tail that writhes
It is the bowels of the soul
Glowing fluorescent green
In its half-transparent head, it bares its buck teeth
Its eyes have no center though it fixes its gaze
It undulates then leaps
It leaps
I won’t eat the flesh of human necks, they’re too hard
People are no good at handling things
They just bow over and over like fools
I could soften them with vinegar
A gutter comes apart at the joints
And dirty water splashes on the road below
The soul-goblin picked at it with its claws
Before our eyes, it crosses a cable
And on the shoulder of an electrical pole
The soul does
A shake dance
Swinging its intestines back and forth
That’s how I get hungry again
The world these days is so full of trash
I’m sick of eating it, I don’t need your stupid offerings
Stretching, shrinking, it begins to digest, pulsing and green
And eventually, droplets of fire rain from its backend
A tiger cat raises its chin and sends up a yell, Meow, amigo
The soul undulates then leaps
It leaps
It leaps up
It skips over stupidly beautiful lashes upturned with an eyelash curler
It drops onto the collarbone of a boy popular because of his powerlessness
It hops down a pendulous breast that cannot resist gravity
It gallops across know-it-alls clinging to the nose hairs of authority
It undulates and leaps
It leaps, undulates, and leaps again
It leaps
A beautiful, strange intestinal bird, pulsing green
It bares its buck teeth
The garbage of Calamity-day and
Drunken-day (hiccup) both belong to the soul
Hey, shall I pick at
What time remains for you?
Grab at it? Dig into it with my claws?
But damn, it’s much too hard
It won’t turn, neither will your head
Meow, amigo
The soul taps
It steps, it shake dances
Scattering droplets of fire
It rows a bicycle
I’ve grown hungry
I’m a living, sexual, sacred body so
I’m sensitive where my body stagnates
So then
Grabbing, digging in
I’ll do gymnastics
For what time remains for you
Hey!
You, haughty good-for-nothing
That offering of durian, I won’t take it
© 2008, Jeffrey Angles
From: Soul Dance
Publisher: 2008, Mi\'te Press, Tokyo
From: Soul Dance
Publisher: 2008, Mi\'te Press, Tokyo
Sponsors
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère