36 Views of SF: 23. go gentler on our shamisen strings
June 30, 2018

(a villanelle lightly after ‘do not go gentle into that good night’ by Dylan Thomas, and inspired by the shamisen artistry of Grandmaster Shizuru Kineya and Tatsu Aoki in Genryu Arts’ Boxes)

the world’s shamisen strings are too tight
we vulnerable are living and dying in fear
tune, tune your machine head hearts right

greed is turning our day into night
as the tree of life turns into a spear
the world’s shamisen strings are too tight

it’s always darkest before the light
perhaps we can shift our atmosphere
tune, tune your machine head hearts right

suffering seems our only birthright
suffering seems the only music we hear
the world’s shamisen strings are too tight

it seems we’re gearing up for a fight
but new music can help us persevere
tune, tune your machine head hearts right

we’ve carried worse tunes – the world’s apartheid –
and we shed our bonnos every New Year.
the world’s shamisen strings are too tight
we can tune, tune, tune our machine head hearts right

 

Blog pairing: MEMOIRS OF A SUPERFAN VOL. 12.4: CRAZY POOR ASIANS

© 2018, Ravi Chandra. All rights reserved.

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