Yoko Danno – I

Catfish in the Woods

 

 

 

 

My dog suddenly runs off

slipping the leash

startled by a wild beast.

 

Without blowing

a conch, the giant

fish-god tosses and turns

 

in the deep ocean bed

heaving his bloated belly

in his millenary sleep –

 

the mischievous catfish*

plays dirty tricks

belching out muddy billows

 

over homes, rice paddies

boats, cars, nuclear plants

guzzling them all alive.

 

Under a tree radioactive

rays filtering through

branches fall on my face.

 

 

 

* In Japanese folklore a giant catfish living underground causes earthquakes.