This heat siege calls for an economy of words and of images. Make yourself some iced tea from these lean nuggets, all from Japanese women—and don't forget the fresh mint.
In a summer meadow
blossoming in a thicket
the red starlily:
this unrevealed love
such a painful thing!
—Lady Otomo of Sakanoe
I hug a stone
burnt in a fire—
a dream of autumn.
—Kanajo Hasegawa
in the summer field
that person with deep feelings
and a sober face
—Sonojo
the moon and I
alone are left here
cooling on the bridge
—Kikusha
In spirit and in truth
silent prayer...just
the moon on the road
—Kikusha
______________________
Be cool.
—Medusa (who swelters)