井上 (Above the Well)
my name carries my flesh like a body
of water
above the well
i nou e,
i know it
i know the mouth from the ground
whispering ancestors’ secrets
i know a hundred feet deep system,
a hundred years deep wisdom
a well of knowledge
a wealth to acknowledge,
my name
above the well i stand looking down
the moon’s reflection like a silver quarter
the wealth i inherited,
my name
this well, a tunnel dug for me
birthed me into a new land
and in my hand a foreign passport
my eyes sensitive to light
so i held it up like a visor
my name, a shield
this well is filled
with water from the tokyo bay
with koi
with letters
with love,
this well
an endless river
it keeps my head above water
i’m here
i’m above the well
i’m alive and
i am well
Vicky Inoue
Vicky Inoue is a multilingual writer and poet of Japanese and Polish
descent who grew up in Sweden. She has been published in various Swedish media
(Klättrar på en mur, Myller Mag, Små Sexplosioner, et al.). Vicky
resides in California as of 2014.