Poetry International Poetry International
Poem

Masayo Koike

Men

The Kaneko Gym on the Odakyû Railway Line is
A small
Boxing gym
At night
From inside the train
I can see people training in the Kaneko Gym
Young men boxing
Within the black night
Blossom-Pink muscles
Like cherry blossoms sweating silently
Boxing, in their movements
A stray memory comes to mind
A memory I seem to have had
Can’t say for certain
‘Kaneko Gym, new boxers welcome’
This is
Always
Read silently
By those with heavy sodden hearts
They
All
Open the dark door
And
One after
Another
Have gathered
There

男たち

男たち

小田急線沿いにある金子ジムは
小さな
ボクシングジムである

電車のなかから
金子ジムの練習風景が見える
若い男が闘っている
暗い夜のなかで
桜色の筋肉が
黙って花のような汗をかいている
闘う、というその姿勢に
私は何かを思い出しそうになり
思い出しそうになって
ついにわからない
「金子ジム、練習生募集」
それは
いつも
重く滴った心だけに
黙読される文字
かれら
みな
暗い戸を押し
ひとり
ひとり
この場所に
集まってきた
Close

Men

The Kaneko Gym on the Odakyû Railway Line is
A small
Boxing gym
At night
From inside the train
I can see people training in the Kaneko Gym
Young men boxing
Within the black night
Blossom-Pink muscles
Like cherry blossoms sweating silently
Boxing, in their movements
A stray memory comes to mind
A memory I seem to have had
Can’t say for certain
‘Kaneko Gym, new boxers welcome’
This is
Always
Read silently
By those with heavy sodden hearts
They
All
Open the dark door
And
One after
Another
Have gathered
There

Men

The Kaneko Gym on the Odakyû Railway Line is
A small
Boxing gym
At night
From inside the train
I can see people training in the Kaneko Gym
Young men boxing
Within the black night
Blossom-Pink muscles
Like cherry blossoms sweating silently
Boxing, in their movements
A stray memory comes to mind
A memory I seem to have had
Can’t say for certain
‘Kaneko Gym, new boxers welcome’
This is
Always
Read silently
By those with heavy sodden hearts
They
All
Open the dark door
And
One after
Another
Have gathered
There
Sponsors
Gemeente Rotterdam
Nederlands Letterenfonds
Stichting Van Beuningen Peterich-fonds
Prins Bernhard cultuurfonds
Lira fonds
Partners
LantarenVenster – Verhalenhuis Belvédère