Hiroshi Tanahashi
by 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
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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.
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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.