Koichi Horiba

(The English translation was made by the author himself.)

I never realized that I would cross a river of fifty years old
At such an early time in my life.
I just imagined that the time would come much later.
While loitering along the corridor of dreams,
I have reached half a century before I knew it.
Is it long or short?
I have a feeling
That it was fortunate enough to come to this point,
Whereas I have a hunch
That this is merely an entrance.

Although the drawer of my mind is filled with repentance
Like a salaried worker who missed the last train,
I will keep an even stance on my life
No matter what era we live in --
This casual thought stimulates my motor nerve.
While walking around a town after dark
Wearing a pair of sneakers,
I have a glimpse of a million suns
And a large gaping four-dimensional tunnel
Beyond the starlit sky.

When I wake up tomorrow,
Taking advantage of an invitation
From the future of a thousand years later,
Let's start rowing a boat
Towards the sea of asphalt shining dimly white,
Scribbling in the sky with a piece of spring-color chalk
Those irritating and innocent days of my late teens
When I felt myself wavering like the surface of water,
And spent my time doing yacht club activities
While being manipulated by the sea breeze in Hayama.

(August 25, 2000; July 14, 2005.)
(Modified on June 7, 2010)