A cold morning and the thin-clad oiran
In the courtyard stands waiting by
The giant snowball -- as tall as she is.
Though the men in the museums
Will say rude things of her, she and her friends
Are very great and, when the mood is on them,
Slanted gods. Nothing breaks her calm:
You can find her standing on a giant carp
Reading a letter or drowsing on a flying boat,
The sixth among the Seven Fortunate Gods.
You awake to find a new dresser --
Tall, spindly-legged and covered
With elaborate inlays showing scenes
From the court of the last Ming Emperor --
Has appeared in your room and is refusing
To allow you access to socks or underwear.
Sobek the crocodile god said
"I went by your grandfather's grave
Last week and, seeing some coffin nails
Had worked themselves loose,
I banged them back down
With my fist. Why be a god if one can't
Do the occasional favor for a friend?"
Ofuji, who sells toothbrushes,
And her friend Osen, who works
At a tea house, will, upon request,
Run errands, re-enact scenes from Genji or
Stand in for the gods. Messages
Should be left with Osen's mother who,
For reasons that don't concern you,
Is called Sleeping Dragon Plum Tree.
Is that how they taught you to enter
Someone's house -- walking right through the wall
All iridescent wings and attitude? Go outside
And try again! This is a young girl's room;
Knock -- quietly, not bang bang bang -- and wait
I'll let you know when you can come in.
There ... that was better. Don't loom like that!
Calm yourself. No, I don't want to know why you're here;
Not yet. Tell me first your name. Gabriel?
Fine. No, I'm not the Virgin Mary. She'd an errand;
I'm filling in for her. (There aren't that many flawless women;
We all know each other.) I'm The Woman Standing Under An Umbrella
From the Harunobu print. You're lucky I'm here
It's obvious you're been under-rehearsed.
Now, why are you here? No, wait, don't tell me yet!
Remark upon the weather; ask me what I'm reading;
Offer me a small gift. How should I know what Mary likes?
Pots of basil? Some lilies? Candied walnuts?
You didn't bring anything? Hopeless!
Did all the ept angels have other things to do?
Let's skip ahead; next time remember to bring something.
Now, find your manners and -- calmly, courteously -- tell me
What brings you here today?
If she enters your dream you'll recognize her at once:
Harunobu's Woman Walking Under An Umbrella
She is perfectly at ease, perfectly self-contained.
If she feels like it, she'll leave her umbrella
Propped against a wall -- unlike hers, your dreams
Are full of walls -- in case you need it someday;
She won't miss it. Should she raise her hand just so
An umbrella will appear in it.
Since I left my job I haven’t
Returned to my office or even
Entered the building. Li Po
Says this is not cowardice but
Simple prudence. How awful
To find myself at my desk
Talking on the phone and gesturing
That I should take a seat
Until I’ve time to talk to myself