Saturday, November 2, 2024

One Man's Maple Moon: Plainclothes Cop Tanka by Lorraine Pester

English Original

boy's deck shoes
a paisley tie, pink and torn
compression socks
thin legs wrapped in loose capris
a plainclothes cop in the ladies' room

Lorraine Pester


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

男孩的甲板鞋
一條佩斯利花紋領帶, 粉紅色並撕破了
壓力襪
細腿裹在寬鬆的七分褲裡
女廁的一名便衣警察

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

男孩的甲板鞋
一条佩斯利花纹领带, 粉红色并撕破了
压力袜
细腿裹在宽松的七分裤里
女厕的一名便衣警察


Bio Sketch

Being curious and staying open to possibility is Lorraine Pester’s way of keeping her haikai fresh. She shies from no topic that presents itself. Her deliberate interactions with birds while dog walking is a frequent theme. She lives with her husband and  Abbey schnauzer in south Texas. 

1 comment:

  1. Juxtaposed with the detailed description of one's dressing style through a list of items, Ls 1-4, this surprising, even startling, image of L5, a plainclothes "cop" (one of the "most masculine" professions for men) in the "ladies' room," shows something about his sexual oritentation or "gender performance/role."

    This list tanka also works well as a character/persona tanka. What's left unsaid is at least as potent as what's stated in the tanka.

    FYI: For more, see "To the Lighthouse" posts, "List Tanka," accessed at https://neverendingstoryhaikutanka.blogspot.com/2024/03/to-lighthouse-list-tanka.html and "Character/Persona Tanka," accessed at https://neverendingstoryhaikutanka.blogspot.com/2022/09/to-lighthouse-characterpersona-tanka.html

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