staring at myself
I punch it, punch it
hard and fast ...
as if I could expel pain
from inside to outside
Note: The tanka above is written in the style of Onihishigitei.
Onihishigitei is the style of demon-quelling force, and it is characterized by its “strong or even violent or vulgar diction.” (Brower, p. 406) This style refers to poems whose “imagery or treatment conveys an impression of violence. Such poems are found in particular in Book XVI of Man’yoshū." (Brower and Miner, p. 247)
-- excerpted from my "To the Lighthouse" post, "Onihishigitei, Style of Demon-Quelling Force"
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