Images by Ichigo Yamamoto

Meringue Salon

A chain mail has arrived from a person who called herself a friend. She said, I would give my persona to your body because my flesh was hijacked. She longed for my appearance and behavior, so she wanted my body. I was so annoyed and I went to the salon to cut my hair.

The rain in April spoiled my start, but it was what I want. I applied the egg white with a brush on my raincoat for waterproofing. The rain bubbled meringue and the town had to follow me.

The beautician stabbed the tip of a comb into my head. Her full breasts appeared from the open neckline dress. I gently kissed her inside the pair of bulges so that she could not notice. In the mirror she turned hatred into a gorgeous smile. But that face was my face like Meringue Kisses melted in the afternoon of a hangover.

I set up a salon in the center of the town. The souvenirs are human shaped cookies. The queen of the front side and the maid of the back side are continuing to rotate automatically one by one. The procession of ladies praising my technique never end in front of the custom-made mirror.

Seafood Restaurant

At the restaurant that is published in the newspaper just because the fish tank was broken, the recommended dish is Canard a l’Orange. Menu is put on the table in the middle of a meal. The menu is very stylish design, so I take it in a carton away.

The apartment I live in does not allow pets and animals, but sometimes a venomous snake comes through the gaps in the door. Though I threaten the snake with belch in an empty room, he seems to be rather provoked. The snake swallowed my toothbrush and alarm clock.

Yearbook of college that graduated ten years ago was delivered. A bookbinder made a copy for each alumnae. So, he finally completed mine. I can see the classmates in dresses flowering the sunflowers and roses at a thank-you party. There is a blurry picture of me on the last page. Me who is wearing a white wedding dress.  Me who bubbles with laughter beside head-shaved muscular hatter and long-haired beautiful twins in the last banquet room. My mother said it was uncomfortable to see our photograph, but she could not refuse to recognize that I was beautiful.

While drinking a glass of wine early in the morning before her business, mother is still waiting for her twin sons on the balcony. To be satisfied with delicious fish dishes, I go out to the sea on a luxury liner. I am detained on the deck chair. Pillow talk with a criminal of the sunset thief. He demands to prepare a fishing net but I wish to shoot a bird.

The Queen of Innocence

Pigeon flies from the building under construction and drops a notebook wet in the rain on my bedside where I overslept in the morning.

Is my rumor written on it?

The pigeon tilts his beak filled with saliva.

I do not know …. Instead,

I want you to write my name here.

The pigeon shows a invitation card for wedding. It wet in crocodile tears of course.

Widow of a laundryman is eating bleu d’Auvergne a little which she bought at grocery. While listening a seven-inch vinyl every night. She is ashamed to sing together. She fills up the ashtray with Kleenex wet in runny nose. The pigeon resting in the attic laughs at her.

A sweet lover in a bad mood goes to the powder room to hide her acne marks. Looking at the neighbour through the compact mirror. She asks towards the sky in sunset.

The last jet pretends ignorance and says.

I just want to take you away.

…

hiromi suzuki is a poet, novelist and artist living in Tokyo, Japan. She is the author of Ms. cried – 77 poems by hiromi suzuki (Kisaragi Publishing, 2013), logbook (Hesterglock Press, 2018), INVISIBLE SCENERY (Low Frequency Press, 2018), Andante (AngelHousePress, 2019). Her works have been published internationally in poetry journals, literary journals and anthologies.
Web site: https://hiromisuzukimicrojournal.tumblr.com

*Note: These are parts of my first poetry collection Ms. cried – 77 poems by hiromi suzuki (kisaragi publishing, 2013 ISBN 978-4-901850-42-1). Three poems written in Japanese have been translated by hiromi suzuki in 2019. Also photographs by ichigo yamamoto are published in the collection.

*The first publications
Meringue Salon: Eureka July Issue, 1999 (Seidosha, Tokyo Japan)
Seafood Restaurant: Eureka September Issue, 1999 (Seidosha, Tokyo Japan)
The Queen of Innocence: Eureka December Issue, 1999 (Seidosha, Tokyo Japan)