for my son who has autism
he never really says
what he means
but I know he likes
to sit close and breathe
in time with me
S. Malka
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
獻給我的自閉症兒子
他從來沒真正說過
他的意思是什麼
但我知道他喜歡
坐得靠近我和我
在一起屏息呼吸
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
献给我的自闭症儿子
他从来没真正说过
他的意思是什么
但我知道他喜欢
坐得靠近我和我
在一起屏息呼吸
Bio Sketch
S.
Malka is a dream, an idea, a concept, a memory for some, an unknown to
many. She can’t touch-type but don’t hold it against her.
Thematically and emotionally strengthened by the use of a joshi (prefatory note), S. Malka's tanka effectively builds, line by line, to a powerful ending that reveals the theme of therapeutic intimacy in the relationship between mother and child.
ReplyDelete... Among the literary devices employed in Japanese tanka and haiku, joshi (preface/ prefatory note) is little known to and thus least used by the English Language poetry community. The sharp brevity of tanka and haiku sometimes tends toward obscurity, and this occasions the prefatory notes that explain the circumstances (such as the setting, sociocultural occasion, and compositional context …etc.) (Keene, p.84). Thus, the note becomes an integral part of the poem. In some cases, even a brief prefatory note can greatly affect our reading of a poem ...
ReplyDelete-- excerpted from "To the Lighthouse: Joshi (Prefatory Note) as a Poetic Device," accessed at http://neverendingstoryhaikutanka.blogspot.com/2014/12/to-lighthouse-joshi-preface-prefatory.html