A Taisho-born poet writes Tanka, embracing her everyday life.
Blog title, rukubuno-sakura, means cherry blossoms in sixty percent bloom.

Friday, January 11, 2019

さくさくと saku-saku


making the sound, saku-saku

I walk on the pebbles

at the local shrine

ring the big bell

and give prayers



photo and rough translation by aunt jam
『コスモス』2017年4月号より

朝刊 morning paper


soft light of winter

on my back

I read the morning paper

 delivered at home


photo and rough translation by aunt jam
『コスモス』2017年3月号より

Thursday, January 10, 2019

こんもりの森 woods on a mound hill


moved from Hamamatsu

it's been 20 days since I came to Nara

blue sky and woods on a mound hill

are embracing my life


photo and rough translation by aunt jam
『コスモス』2017年3月号より

湖の辺 by the lake


moved from the capital

lived by the lake

for15 years

I had been happy 


photo and rough translation by aunt jam
『コスモス』2017年2月号より

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

道の端 on the verge of the path


on the verge of the path

some weeds are in bloom

with white flowers

today, more than yesterday

I enjoy walking

 

photo and rough translation by aunt jam
『コスモス』2016年10月号より

どくだみ草 heartleaves


long time ago

I was a pharmacist

selling heartleaves

like the ones on this path

with good price



photo and rough translation by aunt jam
『コスモス』2016年10月号より

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

御握り rice balls


more than flowers

he likes rice balls

the small child

smiles with grains of rice

on his cheek



photo and rough translation by aunt jam
『コスモス』2016年7月号より

Friday, July 1, 2016

花の種 flower seeds




one day

I think of myself old

on another day

I think of myself 'not yet'

planting the flower seeds


photo and rough translation by aunt jam
歌集『六分の桜』(1999)   p122より

Monday, June 20, 2016

落日 sunset

 

 the beautiful sunset

trapped my eyes

for a while

I ended up scorching 

the stew in the pot


photo and rough translation by aunt jam
『コスモス』2016年5月号より

Friday, April 1, 2016

ひとへ桜 single-petal cherry blossoms


signle-petaled cherry blossoms

bloom so purely

the days when I was single-minded

come back to me

    

photo and rough translation by aunt jam 
歌集『六分の桜』p76より

Thursday, March 31, 2016

この径 this path



the soles of my shoes

give me the felling of

tenderness of the soil

that is so nice

today on this path 

   

photo and rough translation by aunt jam
歌集『六分の桜』p121より

Friday, March 18, 2016

夕食 supper


nothing big

has happened 

I prepare supper

thinking of happiness

just as it is

   

photo and rough translation by aunt jam
『コスモス』2015年12月号より


Friday, January 15, 2016

宵臥 evening sleep


evening sleep is worth a thousand ryou*

morning sleep is worth a ten thousand ryou*

was what he said

and he slept well

the smiling face of my son


*obsolete unit of Japanese currency 
A thousand ryou was a fortune in the old days.


photo and rough translation by aunt jam
『コスモス』2016年1  月号より

Saturday, November 21, 2015

秋の月 autumn moon


pounding rice to make mochi*

that rabbit on the moon**

is said no to exist

the night of Heisei***

is purified by the autumn moon


*rice cake made of mochi-rice
**Old Japanese believed that a rabbit who pounded mochi 
lived on the moon by looking at the shades of lunar craters.
***the current era in Japan, started from 1989


photo by aunt jam
 roughly translated by aunt jam
歌集『六分の桜』p128より

Thursday, November 12, 2015

短歌の七・七 seven and seven syllables of Tanka


for our afternoon walk

my daughter-in-law came in

but I said to her

"seven and seven syllables of Tanka

need to be finished first"


photo and rough translation by aunt jam
『コスモス』2015年 掲載

Saturday, October 17, 2015

山萩 shrubby lespedeza 


compared to the last time

I went for a walk

the shrubby lespedeza 

looks redder and

blooms a little more


photo and rough translation by aunt jam
『コスモス』2015年1月号より

Saturday, October 3, 2015

木村屋のあんぱん Anpan from Kimuraya




the Higan season*

starts tomorrow 

my deceased mother-in-law's favorite

Anpan** from Kimuraya***

is what I buy on my way home

 

*when the souls of the ancestors 
are believed to come close to our world
**sweet roll filled with read bean paste
***a long-estabalished bakery in Tokyo


photo by aunt jam
 roughly translated by aunt jam
歌集『六分の桜』p15より


Saturday, September 19, 2015

朝顔 Morning Glory



becoming slightly

smaller in size

the morning glory

flowers are blown in the wind

 already with the autumn coolness 


photo by sDrake
 roughly translated by aunt jam
歌集『六分の桜』p9より


Monday, August 17, 2015

強きもの something strong

 

Something strong

lurked in my soul

forcing me

to act feminine

when I grew up


 photo by sDrake
 roughly translated by aunt jam
歌集『六分の桜』p25より

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

大相撲 grand sumo tournament



 the spring tournament
has started
I tell my deceased husband in the altar
and watch sumo
on TV


photo and rough translation by aunt jam
『コスモス』2015年6月号より



Sunday, August 2, 2015

八月十五日 August 15


on August 15*

not having lunch

my husband

sat in silence

with his eyes closed


*the memorial day for the end of the war

photo by sDrake
 roughly translated by aunt jam
歌集『六分の桜』p34より
 



Wednesday, July 22, 2015

野いちご wild strawberries


wild strawberries

red and ripe

on the edge of the lane

looking delicious

I stop for a while


photo and rough translation by aunt jam 
『コスモス』2015年8月号より

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

あぢさゐ hydrangea


 

rain has come back from the rainy season

the blue color of the hydrangea is

getting deeper

the person who left this world so young

appears in my mind


photo by sDrake
 roughly translated by aunt jam
歌集『六分の桜』p67より

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

単身赴任 working away from home



before the wedding of our daughter

my husband said

she was working away from home

how stubborn he was

seemed funny to me


photo by sDrake
 roughly translated by aunt jam
歌集『六分の桜』p48より



Monday, July 13, 2015

六分の桜  Under a cherry tree

 
 

under a cherry tree

two thirds in bloom

I stand with my husband

not talking much

we are all right today too

 

photo and rough translation by aunt jam
 歌集『六分の桜』p78より