Princess Viktoria Luise and the Crown Princess of Germany

CORTAZAR POEM

There but where; how
It was a catafalque
Leading her and laying her down
Little by little a nose, some curly hair
Cups on the stool by the chimney
Desire was a crouching leap
The first beer drunk out of the bottle between two curves
The little piece of vanilla
Innocent green glances
Sucked them up into its
Slow serpent

Shogi in Tennoji

I’m watching a shogi game on the sidewalk outside of Tennoji Park in Osaka. I’m unfamiliar with the game, so I just see two old men sitting, staring at a board laid with flat pieces marked with kanji. In Japan, I’m illiterate. Nakamura-san, wears a cotton baseball cap and smokes Mild Sevens, nonstop. His face is lightly freckled. His fingers are long and thin, and he wears a delicate watch on his wrist. He rocks slightly forward and back while considering his opponent’s strategy, tapping his left palm with the filter of his cigarette, ash scattering over his grey slacks. He’s wearing slippers. His opponent, white haired Inoue-san, leans over the small table considering his next move.