June
Is there a beautiful village somewhere
where at the end of a day, dark foamy stout beer
resting the hoe against a wall, resting the basket
men and women raise their large jock
Is there a beautiful town somewhere
streets lined with edibile berries continue forever, smuding into a horizon of violet sunset skies
Gentle sounds of crowds of young people milling around, foam up the air to its very brim
Is there beautiful people and people power somewhere
Power of connection and delight in together living this now, this present moment, this same generation
sharing our rage that sharpen into furious power
Noriko Ibaragi
translated by K. Tsuyama, June 2024 in California:)
This poem by Noriko Ibaragi was first published June 21, 1956 on Asahi newspaper in Japan. She had just turned 30 that same month. I can sense her longings even though its generations ago in distant land and divergent culture … it’s a timeless. It’s timeless, that longing where we want to make a difference – we want to rebel – to be the changemaker for a better world while engulfed in anger. Rather than in gratitude for those who struggled to lead a path before us, we were furious. We were enraged. The poet was young. We were all young dreamers, whether drunk or sober.
That same longing is timeless.
And now I long to be back in that time…of earnest longings
to feel the strength of togetherness
when we felt that we had the power for a change.
