time traveler
on the road with Basho
watching stars spin
fireflies disappearing
I fill my brush with ink
The Bamboo Hut, 1:2, January 2014
Carole Johnston
Chinese Translation (Traditional)
時間旅者
與松尾芭蕉同行
看著星星旋轉
螢火蟲消失
我將畫筆蘸墨
Chinese Translation (Simplified)
时间旅者
与松尾芭蕉同行
看著星星旋转
萤火蟲消失
我将画笔蘸墨
Bio Sketch
Carole
Johnston has been writing Japanese short form poetry for five years and
has published haiku and tanka in various print and online journals.
Her first chapbook, Journeys: Getting Lost, is forthcoming from
Finishing Line Press. Retired from teaching, she drives around writing
poems about landscape. Visit her on Twitter (@morganabag) to read more
of her poetry.
Below is excerpted from my short review of Carole's forthcoming book, "Journeys: Getting Lost:"
ReplyDeleteIn the poems, Carole Johnston shows a flair for tying emotions to arresting images and invites readers to become a fellow traveler.
time traveler
on the road with Basho
watching stars spin
fireflies disappearing
I fill my brush with ink
The thematic motifs explored in Journeys: Getting Lost remind me of the opening passage of Basho’s The Narrow Road to the Deep North, which is considered one of the most famous travelogues ever:
The moon and sun are eternal travelers. Even the years wander on. A lifetime adrift in a boat, or in old age leading a tired horse into the years, every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home. From the earliest times there have always been some who perished along the road. Still I have always been drawn by wind-blown clouds into dreams of a lifetime of wandering…