a long hair — and it's white
nagai ke ga shiraga
1932–1934 · At the Gochū hermitage
Sōmokutō · One Man Within (Gochū hitori)
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A long hair that has fallen out turns out to be a white one. He sets down that small discovery in just that many words. In a life without ever looking in a mirror, age announces itself in unexpected ways. An extremely short poem in which surprise and wry humor live side by side.