スキップしてメイン コンテンツに移動

Resistance to Revision

This poem portrays how a seemingly minor inconsistency in notation, discovered while writing a report covering six years, unexpectedly expands into a major revision. What begins as a routine editorial correction becomes a reflection on the poet’s discomfort with the Japanese era-name system and his personal resistance to the cultural and historical framework it represents. Through this ordinary experience, the poem vividly and humorously reveals the workings of habit, conviction, and the all-too-human reluctance to undertake tedious corrections.

 

 Resistance to Revision

 

I was writing a report manuscript covering six years.

Having nearly finished it, I paused for a breath.

I was satisfied that the overall flow was sound.

All that remained was to check the details.

 

Then I noticed a major mistake.

Japanese era names and Western calendar years were mixed together.

I began revising them to make them consistent.

For some reason, one year was missing.

I felt disappointed in myself for such a careless error.

It was no longer something that could be fixed with a simple correction.

 

My spirits sank.

I let some time pass.

I struggled to keep my concentration from scattering.

I spread the materials across my desk once more.

The review began again from the very beginning.

 

The cause of my reluctance was the notation of years.

I had always written in Western calendar years.

The era-name system felt plainly unnatural to me.

Era names originate in the imperial system.

Apparently, people are thought to differ in character depending on whether they are divided into Showa, Heisei, or Reiwa.

 

Resisting this distinctly Japanese spiritual climate, I stumble here.

My stubbornness undermines my first step toward revision.

The task feels even more irritating.

With a wry smile, I steel myself and know I must begin.

 

Well then, shall I get to it?

What a nuisance!

 

Written on May 14, 2026. There is still time before the deadline. Even so, era names continue to interfere with my thinking.

 

このブログの人気の投稿

Knowing at Sunset　(New Year’s Card, 2026)

his poem reflects on life as it is seen at sunset— not as an ending, but as a moment when past light, lingering warmth, and the promise of a new dawn quietly coexist. Knowing at sunset — the gradations of a life. Passion has not yet cooled; the days bathed in sunlight now lie distant. Life glows in the lingering afterlight. Melting into sunset — the strange encounters a life bestows. Benevolence remains precious still; with the sun at one ’ s back, shadows are cast. Life resounds in the hues of evening. Cherishing the beauty of sunset — the last story of a life. Embers have not yet burned out; in the stillness that reaches culmination, one is suffused by a new sun.
Read more »

To Those Guided by Young Children

This poem listens to life as it is reflected in young children— their gaze, their silence, their small questions. Each moment asks something of us, quietly but unmistakably, calling not for sentiment, but for responsibility, care, and action. To Those Guided by Young Children To meet the gaze of a young child demands a sincerity that faces them head-on. In a young child’s tears, an anger that must not be indulged is questioned. In a young child’s smile, the meaning of selfless joy is questioned. In a young child’s gestures, the warmth of an embracing presence is questioned. In a young child’s fragile voice, our readiness to respond without delay is questioned. In a young child’s silence, the wisdom to sense the heart beyond words is questioned. In a young child’s small questions, our breadth of vision toward the world is questioned In the radiance of a young child’s life, our resolve to protect the present is questioned. The peace a young child seeks without cease mu...
Read more »

A World of Right and Wrong

This poem examines a world where the line between right and wrong is deliberately blurred. By questioning language, justification, and power, it confronts the moral evasions that sustain domination and asks what happens when self-overcoming is refused.   A World of Right and Wrong   When facing a matter, we must examine our way of thinking. We must examine our use of words. We must examine our everyday conduct.   What is the basis that claims alignment with reason? What is the basis for asserting what is “ right ” ? What is the basis for believing one is doing good?   Is a slip of the tongue a lie meant to protect oneself? Is a mocking laugh arrogance that looks down on others? Is failure nothing more than shifting responsibility?   Self-serving values are proclaimed as legitimate. Self-centered ethics are boasted as humanitarian. Ego-driven morality is substituted for education.   One secures absolute c...
Read more »