Part III, The Beginning, Revised

Close readers of this blog will already realize that I have attempted to treat them to a beginning for Part III of my Takaaki poem.

In that role, unfortunately, my first attempt at a Part III was not an entire success. In fact, it was SO not an entire success that I had to adapt, revise, and mechanize it so that it became part of the infantry divisions deployed in Part II. I think it feels much more at home there. We here at Wheniwasoneandtwenty like to think we possess the same special affinity for the troops shared by our illustrious founder.

...

Here is today's contribution to the world of deathless verse.

Part III


This morning I woke to light—a shade
Of pale peach without parallel. A new one.
I lay there looking at the shadows made
By an oak tree on my imagination:
Leaves danced on my blinds, my mind—a fan
Hiding a kabuki player, a young man,
Performing for the Shogun, on a stage,
Not built of oak, but darker wood. The image
Fleeting as it was—as all Art is—
Seemed so substantial! Though at home,
Alone, although not knowing what’s to come—
If I will wake to silence, tears, or kiss,
Tomorrow, in ten years, or the hereafter—
I was happy. Tomorrow didn’t matter.