Poem by Makoto Ooka. Translated by Janine Beichman. From Beneath the Sleepless Tossing of the Planets (Katydid Books)

"Although poems are in most cases written by people with little worldly power, they offer one of the most important keys to the basic form and essence of a culture. Layers of spiritual history are hidden within even some of the most ordinary words, and poets can use these words to awaken people to the great continuity of time of which they, through seemingly discrete entities, are an integral part."

(Kurumaza and Japanese Poetry From: Columbia University | By: Makoto Ooka found at FATHOM via Wood s lot)