Akari on the Water * A cathedral, a square, and tables under the sun A city, on water, overflowing with acqua alta through space through time towards this brand new world / city Aquamarine of this waterwonderworld Virgin of this our replica earthmother clear sky clear sea flipped skiff wet rose me / you Le rose rosse waft gently on the reflective sea surface gathered about your ankles. Il sole al tramonto hues mildly the color of the reddening day the palette of your flash portrait. Il mio cuore beats rapid with the splendor of my surprise at you in a flower water garden. I miei sforzi fated thusly all praise for one maiden (another) it seems was simply gathered for you. Tonight we shall have more of one another. (恥ずかしいセリフ禁止!) The feast over water blessed that which unites us from across cosmos so wide that we row in different directions. (O, intrepid duck amongst white swans!) And they regale on the ornate ship many a friend and family and partner to celebrate a reunion (space-time separated). A smile for this serenity that sadly could not last as the galaxy express of the night sky paints a backdrop for their next parting. Let us eat of a passing moment tonight. And to recall... What beautiful moment rises above all that I have ever seen one pleasant surprise born amidst a world of blue coated white a woman- she would be your mentor, she who was my light - rolled naught but a small snowball at the open of this scene. Her minor miracle born so small, soon to diameter much larger grew and exceeded the aspiration of her push, so that you were called to lend two hands and a heart, but then that too was not quite enough to roll the growing prize much farther. First to join in were an elderly pair to append their fragile sway the beginning of a commotion that would swell to touch many a passerby who added their all to the joy of such a determined community come together on this fine winter's day. Come the end of this lighthearted jaunt, the multiplying cast had flourished to a boisterous crowd down by the bay to celebrate in spontaneity the snowman that they had all come together unexpectedly to cast. It was your smile- not hers! -that I noticed that day. (But when again did this all come to pass?) I work in the day I work in the sky I control the weather I fly among the results I bide my time and I think of you. Upon the displaced isle aloft the sea of the sky tethered to terra firma and yet I feel more free than if I were tied down only a few lengths below. My finger is tied to yours with red twine. Unreal girl in an unreal city, unreal city and its' unreal... unreal?... 物の哀れ: Ablaze economic bloodlines, the glasswork tendrils- crystal stalks of multifoliate color -deftly entwine Patroni seeking quaint charms, the spectacled camerieri- inside this cafe transplanted -tenderly serve Fragrant fresh treats, the maître pâtissier- counter recessed in the teaming marketplace -daily bakes Svelte crafts to ferry or tour, able sweatladen builders- of no production line -painstakingly construct Tourists of all types, the prima of all prima of this generation- with all rivals retired -perfectly pleases and all shall hear the Crimson Rose converse with merrymaking correspondence and all shall feel the gentle sway of undulating waves beneath their sound ship and all shall smell the enticing aroma of sustenance so sweet when browsing by and all shall taste their coffee under the painted men renowned through history and all shall see the blowers conduct their fire symphony with glee even though some who come to spectate be natives of this land. Flatland though it be... (But keep this between you & me.) Escape from our days where we... Hustle, bustle of an active port. This is a single day Laborers. Open water. White spray. Sea shades. Mild breeze. A taste of salt is in the air. The oppressive summer heat but this fantasy floating on the sea The traghetto trainees push off from the delicate maiden piers and water-rotted wharfs to continue their training and in due course will arrive the time to remove one glove... Hustle, behind doors where only water faeries hum. among many others of its' kind. Undines. Dining hall. White cloth. Vibrant garb. Placid a/c. Lunch is served. cannot simply be stopped by walls; can simply be lived through emotion. Alice in Orange land customs song with the Siren voice of Venice; despite her protests hard must she work though she approaches all trials in her deadpan manner. ...or maybe two? We now resume our regularly scheduled program, already in progress: And then struck gondola the surrounding debris Her able body forthwith set ship to straight Meanwhile merry mirth overcame all other in company Navigating the narrows though decayed door as strange gate Entered into drowned warehouse, now nearly be lost They amidst a great expanse, skimming by a crushed crate Submerged by sea, this forgotten world the three crossed Sketched in pencil could a comic art convey it superb sight That odd avenue joined & journeyed for respect to time cost Once passed outside, did shine splendid the bright daylight Before Rozen Queen & Orange Princess would they be named Gay companions were this single plus pair in youthful delight Come upon then sought shore, byway to bridge acclaimed Did their leader 'lone overpass to observe folklore fulfill Reaching catwalks' end, whims of time her body soon claimed Into old era before Snow White graces all with consummate skill To witness the world's dawn born in a rush of blue terraforming Left to wonder what wizardry felines did unto this timebridge instill After she returned tardy with tale believed to be misinforming All three depart; pin points of light claim an unclouded night sky Aika, in adolescent distress, dashes off to love interest's warming Gaze together that timid couple at meteor shower from up high Elsewhere our youngest undine pets three puss presidents While our heroine enjoins penpall at carnival; no man can decry Words praised upon her of recognition & compliments For she is a goddess in our hearts without precedents And maybe this girl can be our savior, And maybe this girl can be our guiding light, Who really is this angel upon the water? Who walks a joyful skip... who beams an honest smile... who casts a vibrant eye... who lives a life in bliss, If we then coalesce with her... could we share her sanguine mind? could we share her unblemished heart? could we share her steps through life? could we imagine for just one moment? that we were really one with her, I... feel the allure in a fleeting instant... find the mundane to be so much more... transcend the average circumstance... take this day wrought with normalcy... transform it into a new discovery... bring forth a spontaneous enchantment... connect the newfound joy with those around me... accept that this too will come to pass, Always I seek out the beauty in everything... while I seek out the beauty in everyday... because I seek out the beauty in everyone, To the everyman, with a life commonplace... to the salaryman, with a job unrecognized... to the romancer, with a love unrequited... to the lost, who question their live's worth... to the viewer, who yearns for bliss like this, I... sing the song of myself... sing the song of wouldbe yourself... sing the spirit excited... sing the endeavor rewarded... sing the love reciprocate... sing the meaning profound... sing the fantasy lived... and more, I sing the beauty universal... sing the citizens angelic... sing the charter justice... sing the world in peace... I sing your life of worthy images, And this way we can imagine ourselves, the way in which we would be like her, And this way we can imagine ourselves, her real life protege, And this way we can imagine ourselves, And this way we can, And this way we can imagine... Love, the little girl, dressed in primrose dressed in primrose dressed in primrose 愛, the young girl, without any woes Festive for carnival, toni~ght! With the big cat, she dances around dances around dances around With Casanova, she prances around As stars fall in the sky, toni~ght!CODABut as a wheel falls of this cart of broken images the carnival of deceit with a dance of feigned innocence must end. Behind the smile where lies the lie in this perfectly pure and docile little tragedy that is in reality no real human being but only an image out of your own delusions and perversions let us be real for a moment for you and i are never to be saints in this our imagined heaven the white wings will rot black the harp strings will snap back with one foul pluck with nothing short of delusions to dream such virgin innocence from a girl with that attractive air with that pretty face with those curves on her flowers down at her feet what of the budding ones upon her heaving chest chaste clothing hides not ... the air is now water we drown in ecstasy breathes not the water fairy in our substitute garden and she will never be your Akari for who can truly live like this pastel illusions orchestrated naivete to drone out the dross noise of the daily grind a desperate attempt to flee a fucked world in a fit of escapism for no more a mere twentyfour minutes by fiftythree times over and then it's over for you cannot escape for good and just how many times over do you expect to lose yourself within this you know what a ひきこもり is don't you? That sin that entered... That Eden that really wasn't... By definition no fantasy can be real. That knowledge that came from the apple... That judgement that proclaimed your iniquity... On Earth you will never recreate this paradise. That purity that can never be attained... That wall that can never be breached... You will be as a foreigner to this land Aqua. That dissonance that returns you... That reality that can no longer be shut out... All dreams must come to an end.
Endnotes: Most recently updated in Oct of 2011, this can be considered version 4.6 of my attempt to render some tangental thoughts on a subject sparked by one blogger's drive to live life with an upbeat outlook like a particular animated character in a particularly animated world, a well-meaning exercise that I find questionable considering the harsh realities of our own world. (Looking back now, it turns out his original post is a lot more honest with the experiment than I remember him being... oh well! I took my inspiration anyways.) Personas, settings, and key scenes pertain to the manga and anime Aria. The viewer inserts himself into this anime/fantasy via Akatsuki, coming to love Akari for the splendor she finds in the commonplace... but everything here is not so commonplace, too pure for reality, and the fantasy slowly unwinds, until the viewer confronts himself with reality. This is NOT an attack against all who enjoy and are spirited away by this anime/manga (I count myself among them), so the ending should be taken merely as a rant in frustration and not truly a judgement on this our choice of entertainment. Respects must be paid to Ezra Pound (whose poetic range of styles inspire me to experiment), Ulysses & James Joyce (to each element its' own form), John Ashbery (two stanzas side-by-side), Dante Alighieri (mini-epic in terza rhima), Walt Whitman (those long long lines broken up by ellipses), and T.S. Eliot (the drive to write longform poems, the nursery rhyme, and countless other poetic tools). Obviously, far more writers' credit is due beyond this. Italian phrases: acqua alta = "high water", the seasonal flooding of Venice Le rose rosse = "The red roses" Il sole al tramonto = "The setting sun" Il mio cuore = "My heart" I miei sforzi = "My efforts" Patroni = "Patrons" camerieri = "waiters" prima = "first", a working gondolier single, pair = of gloves; gondoliers in training French & Latin phrases: maître pâtissier = "master baker" terra firma = "solid earth" Japanese phrases: 恥ずかしいセリフ禁止! = Aika's catchphrase, Embarrassing comments aren't allowed!, read "Hazukashii serifu kinshi!" 物の哀れ = the pathos of things, read "mono no aware" 愛 = love, read "Ai", the name of Akari's penpall ひきこもり = a shut-in withdrawn from society, read "hikikomori" (and yes the author does realize that you may not "know what a ひきこもり is" when reading the poem ;-) return to homepage