English Original
stuck for an answer
I lower my eyes --
her ten red toenails
The Necessary Fly, 2006
Larry Kimmel
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
被困住要給一個答案
我垂下眼簾不說話 --
她的十個紅色腳趾甲
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
被困住要给一个答案
我垂下眼帘不说话 --
她的十个红色脚趾甲
Bio Sketch
Larry Kimmel lives quietly in the hills of western Massachusetts. His most recent books are shards and dust (cherita), outer edges (tanka) and thunder and apple blossoms (haiku).
The contrasts, visual, emotional, and symbolic, between the "timid" (L2) and frustrated (L1) speaker and his confident, passionate lover/partner (symbolized by red toenails) are effective, and what's left unsaid (such as an answer to what? why being stuck ? in L1) is more potent than what's stated in this "relationship haiku."
ReplyDeleteFYI: Red polish can mean many different things, depending on the person wearing it. Generally, red nails denote "confidence, power and sex appeal."