Deborah P. Kolodji and Mariko Kitakubo's "Asakusa" and "Meiji Jingu "

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Deborah P Kolodji, a haiku poet from Southern California, and Mariko Kitakubo, a tanka poet from Tokyo, started writing haiku-tanka sequences during the pandemic when they were both unable to travel to poetry readings, conferences, and events. To date, they have written 20 sequences.

 

Mariko Kitakubo has published six books of tanka including three bilingual ones, “On This Same Star,” “Cicada Forest,” and “INDIGO.” Mariko is an experienced performer who has presented her poetry on at least 234 occasions, 177 of them overseas, in 51 different cities on 5 different continents. She hopes to encourage more poetry lovers worldwide to appreciate and practice tanka. https://www.en.kitakubo.com 

 

Deborah P Kolodji is the California Regional Coordinator for the Haiku Society of America. Her first full-length book of haiku and senryu, "highway of sleeping towns," won a Touchstone Distinguished Book Award from the Haiku Foundation. Her recent e-chapbook, “tug of a black hole,” is available as a free download from Title IX Press (Now Moth Orchid Press) at https://e7b207b8-f70d-4a2b-9a92-95e280e7fb92.filesusr.com/ugd/8a417d_31b9e61a29aa4a5290d90d02c869f714.pdf

 



Asakusa 

by Deborah P Kolodji and Mariko Kitakubo

 

tourists pose

by the thunder gate

jinrika-sha

 

cherry petals

were dancing

at Senso-ji

together in the photo

us with incense smoke

 

red-faced in the wind

of a spring day

paper lantern

 

a couple

of nion watches us

since we visited

sweet rain

of Asakusa

 

my last package

of Matcha sweet treats

empty suit cases

 

am I

mishearing?

happy liveliness

from that April

pale blue sky

 

© 2022 Deborah P Kolodji & Mariko Kitakubo



 

Meiji Jingu  

   by Deborah P Kolodji & Mariko Kitakubo

 

 

sun on the water

an egret meditates

in the shrine garden

 

 

making

shining circles

around us

like waterfowl,

our thankful prayer

 

 

I write my heart

too soon for irises

in the inner garden

 

 

the leaf

looks like a sword ...

SYOUBU iris

please don't bring us

another war

 

 

crossing the bridge

I am lost

in the forest

 

how many Torii

did I go thorough?

hopefully

the next gate

will be welcoming


© 2022 Deborah P Kolodji & Mariko Kitakubo

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