Wake up from hibernation. We reach the coast, plucking wild strawberries. Yesterday I played hide-and-seek in my petticoat with her after Zen practice at the temple. It was the afternoon when I pretended to be dead. In the middle of a school excursion. We complimented hairstyles each other. Without opening our hearts to each other. We had promised to dress in matching swimsuits on the beach. I found a small stream flowing under the Benten-Bridge when we got separated from our classmates. A moat-like ditch surrounding a castle on the sandy beach. Teacher guides us in that direction. Walk straight on the groove. Under the plastic arch keeping out the rain. The overcast sky predicts a counter-attack of the arcade which will destroy the breakwaters.

I broke some old eggs this morning without noticing. She is surprised. She is more afraid of omelets with chicks than the rotten smell. I realize I have not woken up from my sleep. GOOD EVENING. The voices sounding from the radio program in the midnight. LOVELY DAY. The smokes come out of the loudspeaker, eventually the bed has been eroded by tide and red wine. GOOD BYE. I notice I have forgotten my umbrella in the theater. Washing my body with an instantaneous water heater in the kitchen that is not clean, I want to go back to the attic. Though I have changed into a black nightgown. I know the stew in the morgue has been stone-cold, of course.

…

hiromi suzuki is a poet, fiction writer 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), Found Words from Olivetti (Simulacrum Press, 2020). Her works have been published internationally in poetry journals, literary journals and anthologies.web site: https://hiromisuzukimicrojournal.tumblr.com/Twitter: @HRMsuzuki

Note: Interview with the Vampire is a part of the first poetry collection Ms. cried – 77 poems by hiromi suzuki (kisaragi publishing, 2013 ISBN978-4-901850-42-1). This poem written in Japanese has been translated by hiromi suzuki, 2021.