Letter from Insomnia
Accepting Li Po’s tragedy,
apocryphal or not,
we embrace her imperfect
reflection
rippling in the breeze,
but manage to surface.
I once thought I would name a child Luna
and she would glow at night
and like Hendrix, kiss the sky.
But that was whimsy
and only candles light this room
at this hour
on this particular day
in this year of the snake.
And what fool would reach for a stone orbiting at
1,023 meters per second?
There are clouds to consider, the stars
and the scattering rain
and of course wine
and the possibilities within each glass
and the drops therein.
We must discuss these matters
under her gaze, where smallness gathers.
* * *
This originally appeared in Middle Gray in October, 2013. It was written in response to a poem my friend Michael sent me, replying to this poem.
O at the Edges 
Superb.
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You’re very kind. Thank you.
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A most fullsome Edge, O. Wonder and Wonderful and that not always so easy to fit within such confines. Thanks to friend Michael for the prompt. We all deserve this poem, good sir!
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Thank you, J. Much appreciated.
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I love this! Such beautifully and visually spoken reflections on mid-night pondering when sleep eludes us. Thank you, this put a bit of sparkle in my day.
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Thank you, Kathleen.
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Reblogged this on BLUE HYDRANGEAS and commented:
I am grateful for poetry! It allows us to examine experiences and concepts from different perspectives using figurative and metaphorical language. This poem posted by “O at the Edges” beautifully and visually speaks on reflections of mid-night pondering when sleep eludes us. He references Li
Po, a prolific Chinese poet from the ancient “Golden Age” of Chinese poetry, whose poems celebrated friendship, nature, solitude, and the joys of drinking wine. True or not, legend includes tales of Li Po’s drunkenness and chivalry, and include the story that he drowned when reaching from his boat to grasp the moon’s reflection in the river. Robert Tokaji references LI Po’s ancient legend of tragedy with the moon, as background and comparison for his own experience this night with insomnia. It added sparkle to my day. I love it!
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Thanks for reblogging, Kathleen, and for your kind words.
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“There are clouds to consider”… great line!
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Clouds always make me think. 🙂
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There is nothing like floating on your back in the Sea of Japan, watching the clouds go by as you bob on the waves… (with a belly full of Asahi Super Dry of course!). 素敵!!
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Sounds like paradise to me!
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I spent a lot of time in Tottori snorkeling & scuba diving, eating yakitori on the beach, and napping while snuggled up with my girlfriend under a beach umbrella…often waking up to a fiery sunset over the sea turning the water a glorious orange colour… best way in the world to escape the hyperactivity of living in Japan. I wish I was as brilliant a poet as you so I could properly explain how heavenly it all felt…
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Your description is enough for me!
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All languages have their own unique charms and advantages. Mandarin, Vietnamese, German, etc. But there is NOTHING on the planet like Japanese… waking up on the beach with said girlfriend and whispering romantic things into her ear in Japanese… so worth the endless hardship of mastering it at a significant level. My favorite expression is how one asks if the other is romantically interested in them… roughly translated as “do you like the experience of me?” as in “do you like what you experience when I am being me?”
The aforementioned girlfriend cooed that in my ear one day while we were window shopping in Osaka… about a week after we started casually dating. Super romantic. Thus it drives me crazy when people stereotype the Japanese as reserved and polite to the point of it being a negative trait. Japanese people have fantastic personalities and are super gregarious int heir own unique way…when you get to know them. Japan is famous for ninjas, anime, Godzilla and sushi, etc, when it should be famous for the lively soul and spirit of its amazing citizens.
I never laugh so hard as I do when out on the town with my Japanese friends…
Now THAT is Paradise!!
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That truly is Paradise!
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Laughing is a kind of spiritual orgasm as far as I am concerned. Nothing makes me have a good day like listening to Doug Stanhope, Patton Oswalt, Dana Gould, and/or Louis CK in the morning…
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I can count on my dogs inspiring at least one good laugh or giggling spell every day. Laughter eases the way.
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Chihuahuas are a lot of fun. 🙂
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I enjoyed this so very much. I wish I knew how to save a copy to share with my daughters. I like the way the poem dances.
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Thank you, Dennis. If you provide your email address, I’ll send you a word document of the poem. You can reach me at robertokaji AT yahoo DOTCOM.
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Thanks in advance for a copy of your poem. Your dance with language is truly beautiful.
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You are very welcome.
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Loved this one!
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Thanks, Barbara!
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Beautiful!
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I’m so pleased you like it. Thank you.
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Keep up the great work!
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I’ll try.
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