HIROSHI TANAHASHI
Jerry VanIeperen
echoes travel across the icy sea foam
in cherry blossom sundown the Dome crowd quakes
Hiroshi Tanahashi leaps from the top rope
falling in love, frog-splashed against the mat in magnitudes
in cherry blossom sundown the Dome crowd quakes
Tanahashi wasn’t born a constellation
falling in love, frog-splashed against the mat in magnitudes
all the neon signs illuminate the borders of ropes
Tanahashi never born a constellation
when the world swoons in uncharted patterns of lava and stars
all the neon signs illuminate the borders of ropes
the sweat and spectacle captured in a camera’s eye
when the world swoons in uncharted patterns of lava and stars
Hiroshi Tanahashi leaps from the top rope
the sweat and spectacle captured in a camera’s eye
Tanahashi echoes a constellation over the icy sea
I arrived at a point of liberation where I decided I was going to write poetry about pro wrestling—former Utah Poet Laureate David Lee said that may be the greatest oxymoron of his time, which I took as encouragement. I watched wrestling with my grandpa, it was the topic that got me back in touch with a dear friend after years apart, and it was also common ground, for a time, I shared with my son. So, it’s fairly meaningful to me, and I’m especially proud of how this poem about a Japanese pro wrestler turned out.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
JERRY VANIEPEREN lives heartily in Utah with two children, two dogs, and one wife. He earned an MFA from the University of Nebraska and was a founding editor of the poetry journal Sugar House Review.