Circus

Translated from the Japanese

There have been so many eras
        So many wars fought in brown

There have been so many eras
        So many quick winds of winter

There have been so many eras
        But here, tonight, a party like no other
                But here, tonight, a party like no other

From the highest beams of the circus tent
        Hangs a single trapeze
So high that one can hardly see

Hands hang upside down
        Below the soiled cotton canopy, he swings—
Baaaaack and fooooorth, back and forth
        Yuyaaaaan yuyooooon, yuya yuyon

Nearby, white lights
        Exhale cheap ribbon

The spectators are all sardines,
        Oyster shell Adam’s apples rattle—
Baaaaack and fooooorth, back and forth
        Yuyaaaaan yuyooooon, yuya yuyon

                It is pitch-black outside, the darkest darkness,
                The night deepens with each passing moment
                Descending with a parachutist’s wistfulness—
                Baaaaack and fooooorth, back and forth
                Yuyaaaaan yuyooooon, yuya yuyon
 

Source: Poetry (June 2025)