Doug Sylver
Ancient Romaine
daily game show—
a rabbit, two squirrels
in my vegetable garden
True, I’m retired, but I have my standards. One is never to watch daytime television. But lately, with such drastic changes in the air, I find myself bored late afternoons. Today I clicked on the tube, not sure which channel, and was pleasantly surprised to find “Wheel of Fortune.” And it was hosted by none other than Matsuo Basho, with Yosa Buson spinning the wheel. The answers from the letters were clever little phrases based on Shakespeare’s plays. They were like the final phrase in a haiku, if you will. One of today’s was
QUESTION: MARC ANTONY
Basho reminded the three contestants, in Japanese but in subtitles of the viewer’s choice, “Remember, the answer will be a short phrase that encompasses two worlds in one breath.” Buson spun the wheel again and the contestants took their turn guessing the answer to the puzzle. The audience was getting into it now and yelling suggestions. The contestants got to
J U __ __ U S __ A __ S A __ SA __ A __
and one of them guessed
JULIUS ERVING SAID
Basho politely shook his head no and reminded the contestants that today’s theme was Shakespeare’s plays and to “remember, two worlds in one breath.” After a few more spins of the wheel from Buson, with the audience now cheering wildly, a contestant solved the puzzle and won a big prize.
Note: “Two worlds in one breath” is a phrase that Timothy Green, editor of Rattle, has used to describe haiku. See his essay “Filling Up on Haibun,” originally published in the Press-Enterprise (Aug. 2024).
About the Author
Doug Sylver’s writing can be found in Drifting Sands, The Sun Magazine, The New York Times and Fixator Press, among other publications. He is a recently retired public high school teacher and lives with his love, Monica, in Seattle.