Taeko Uemura is a Japanese poet and writer, director of Japan Universal Poets Association, Kyoto, member of the Japan Pen Club and the Kansai Poets Association. She published several poetry collections and has been invited at many famous international poetry festivals such as Struga Poetry Evenings, Macedonia (2012, 2013, 2015), Europa in Versi in Como, Incontro di Poesia in Milano, Genoa International Poetry Festival, Italy.
White Hair
Shall I remove your white hairs?
There are not many things left to care for you now
In the past, picking ten hairs would return
That sparkling sharpness in your face
Now, even if I pick thirty, forty hairs
Few changes, but your boyish shyness returns
You are too stout and too pride to complain about loneliness
Too distrustful, to complain about inconveniences
Too liberal minded to complain about disloyalty
Do white hairs sprout up from the same root?
Or do the hairs turn white from black
Because of our talks about our life is ending?
If I remove your hairs
Would that help to escape from our sad thoughts?
I will remove your white hairs
There are not many things left to care for you now
Even if it does not help
I will continue to do it
Meanwhile I can forget the fact that life is ending
TAEKO UEMURA, Japan
Translation: Mariko Sumikura – Germain Droogenbroodt
From: “To a Vanishing Point, 2012”, Japan Universal Poets Association, Kyoto
WE WERE NOT BORN FOR DAYS LIKE THESE
In one’s life, days like these should never happen again
Such a thing
Such a thought
Such a day should never happen again, for that purpose
I will throw all what I have been into the depth of the river
Everything I experienced in life,
The whole stack of mine, I will throw it away
To be able to laugh heartily once more
For our future
I will throw all what I have been in the river
The future will certainly come
I will make it come in by a quiet perseverance
No matter what I have to offer in exchange.
TAEKO UEMURA, Japan
Translation: Mariko Sumikura – Germain Droogenbroodt
A PRAYER TO WINE
An eternal life dwells in wine
because the grapes keep the sun inside
a grain of light
becomes a shining crystal
and wine becomes
the sparkling sunlight we drink
When one pours white wine in a glass
I swirl it clockwise to the right
when one pours red wine in a glass
I swirl it to the left
the reverse direction
I will say a prayer
so that lies become truth
so that truth becomes a lie
At the crossing point
the passion of the sun sets for me
the spirit of love.
TAEKO UEMURA, JAPAN
Translation: Mariko Sumikura – Germain Droogenbroodt
