By Jared Michael Kubokawa

The Wild Boar and the Dodgeball Game

(a mostly true story)

 

Early this morning,

at an elementary school

in western Japan

the local powers announced

(to much commotion)

for everyone to please be careful

…there is a wild boar loose in the area.

 

You should hear the sound

of five hundred Japanese

all being surprised at once.

 

Later that day,

during a nervous recess

an American teacher

leisurely

stretched his arms and

watched the Japanese teachers—

watch the students—

watch the hills—

with apparent

apprehension.

 

Meanwhile, the American

was able to oust one student

after another in his best

game of dodgeball to date.

 

That evening,

after a late and

lovely dinner on

Mrs. Maeda’s

prize roses and

Mr. Hokoiwa’s

discarded sake

the wild boar

(at large)

fell fast asleep

and dreamt

of wonderful

and wild

wild boar

doings and

things.

 

 

The English Teacher

 

In my school,

English is  

an illness

no one

wants

to catch.

  

I don’t blame them,

I mean

no one

actually

wants

the flu.

 

And this

isn’t

necessarily

a problem

except

that

 

I keep

showing up

and

sneezing in

everyone’s

face.

 

 

My Students

 

I taught my students

the alphabet,

days of the week,

months, colors,

animals, et cetera.

 

They taught me

how take something

when you want it,

how not to think

but to do,

how to live

younger

and act older.