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.