Poem

Michio Mado

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Apple

As I place
one apple
here

the apple,
its mass,
all by itself
occupies all

Here exists
0ne apple
nothing else

Ah
what is
and what is not
come together
blindingly clear

© Translation: 1999, Takako Lento
From: Masters of Modern Japanese Poetry
Publisher: The Morris-Lee Publishing Group, Rosemont, New Jersey, 1999

APPLE

From: Masters of Modern Japanese Poetry
Publisher: The Morris-Lee Publishing Group, Rosemont, New Jersey

Michio Mado

(Japan, 1909 - 2014)

For the last half a century, literally everyone in Japan, of any age, has been familiar with the children’s song ‘Little Elephant’. This, and other well-known songs by the same writer, are almost as popular as Mother Goose nursery rhymes in the English-speaking world. But not many knew that these verses were written by a man named Michio Mado, and even fewer were aware that Mado was in fact a s...

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Poems of Michio Mado

Apple

As I place
one apple
here

the apple,
its mass,
all by itself
occupies all

Here exists
0ne apple
nothing else

Ah
what is
and what is not
come together
blindingly clear

© 1999, Takako Lento
From: Masters of Modern Japanese Poetry
Publisher: 1999, The Morris-Lee Publishing Group, Rosemont, New Jersey

Apple

As I place
one apple
here

the apple,
its mass,
all by itself
occupies all

Here exists
0ne apple
nothing else

Ah
what is
and what is not
come together
blindingly clear

© 1999, Takako Lento
From: Masters of Modern Japanese Poetry
Publisher: 1999, The Morris-Lee Publishing Group, Rosemont, New Jersey