Project Timespan
April 2026
Inspiration
I took a two-week trip to Japan and Korea with the missus in the spring of 2026. I’ve never been one to document my travels. On our first day in Japan, we visited Meiji Shrine in Tokyo, where I learned about the emperor’s passion for poetry.
Over the course of his lifetime, Emperor Meiji composed more than 100,000 waka (和歌), a traditional Japanese poetry form of five lines (ku, 句) of 5-7-5-7-7 syllabic units (on, 音). Historically, waka referred to several different poetry forms of varying ku and on, but in modern use it is synonymous with tanka (短歌), meaning “short poem.”
While Emperor Meiji is most often depicted in a European-style military outfit, given his association with ushering Japan from a feudal state to a modern imperial power, the photo above depicts him nicely in formal Japanese attire. One can almost sense him pondering the next line of a waka as he awaits the flash of the photograph.
I wrote one waka a day for each of the locations visited in Japan and Korea. Many of the poems may not make sense in isolation to the reader, but that is the beauty of the art form.
United States
Metal bird resting,
Carrying dreams of travelers
Towards the distant shores.
As the bird lifts off,
Wishes take wings as well.
Japan
Leaves of Yoyogi
Fall upon the forest floor.
Children freely play –
Spirits of generations
Echo in the timeless wind.
Incense, prayer, clapping:
Pilgrims at Sensō-ji hall
Keep customs alive.
Visitors too, in their way,
At food stalls and shopping stands.
Sheltered in the depths,
Koi swim carefree in the pond
Within palace walls.
Outside, the city peers down
At Edo’s reflective gaze.
Entering complex
Maze greets locals and tourists.
Paths near and diverge:
Interwoven strings of fate
Pulling travelers along.
Paris, orange-white
Looming over Zojiji,
Beckons forth new age.
Past and present intertwined
Now dare I stop and look back?
Train to kyo to
Bustling commercial hubs –
Buses full to brim,
Throngs pushing from street to street,
Spill over the edges.
Greenery from ash
Sprout faster, more vibrantly.
Motionless rock waves
In silent testimony
Of temples burnt and rebuilt.
Yoshengai markets
Reel in eager visitors –
Pockets open wide.
Caught in the moment, they snap
At all sights strange and smells new.
Korea
Two souls reunite,
Bonds strengthened in time apart –
Chosen family.
Through North and South, hope remains
For those yearning for this chance.
Faded memories
Weigh upon the weary heart.
Questions unanswered.
In its layers, birds tesselate –
Unfettered freedom in flight.
With the written word
Korea finds her own voice,
Powerful and strong.
Palaces come and then go,
But culture holds steadfast.
Fear and ignorance
Spread like a pestilence through
Demagogue sermons.
In the end, all else in ruin,
Regret is all that remains.
Reflection
This was truly a magical trip – I hope to revisit sometime writing in long form, but these waka will suffice for now. The only bad poem is the one left unwritten – give it a try!