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Maxianne Berger

MayDay

Just turned the calendar from last month to this month. The new image is Hokusai’s “Poem by Chūnagon Yakamochi.” Not simply one of a hundred in the Hyakunin Isshu, but of Hokusai’s version, uba ga etoki—explained by the nurse. Reading this, it crosses my mind that in Hokusai’s day, “nurse” didn’t have today’s revalued meaning. Today. May 1, 2020. A Friday. TGIF.

Nothing is scribbled in today’s square. tgif.

no magpies
but we’ll recognize
it’s morning
when we see the bridge
if there is a bridge

The merry month of May does show a few scrawled plans: two concerts, a play, a poetry reading, a dentist appointment, and an out-of-town weekend complete with cat-boarding details. A run-of-the-mill month for two retirees and their oblivious feline. Of course, all is cancelled. Still, I cross nothing out.

through this window
beyond shelter
a bright grey sky
contains sunshine, contains it
we know it’s sunshine

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About the Author

Montrealer Maxianne Berger co-edited Cirrus: tankas de nos jours for six years with Mike Montreuil. She writes book reviews for Tanka Canada’s Gusts, and coordinates them for Haiku Canada Review.