Alexandra Corrin-Tachibana

ふさわしくないもの

unsuitable things

after Sei Shōnagon

An obasan saying futotta na
to a foreigner: haven’t you put weight on?
An elderly woman questioning
the Japanese character, based on a competitive
game of bridge. Pyramid tea bags that rip.
On threads that twist around your index finger.
A mother who twists words, shutting
down conversation with her daughter:
did you ring for a reason? A father telling
his son he’s a quitter, because he leaves
taekwondo. A son remonstrating with his mum
when she unplugs his gaming PC:
are you a fucking moron? Chewing pellets
of Rock Jaw gum, for better facial aesthetic.
A father who won’t let him win at arm wrestling.
And a mother who sees a rival in her daughter,
who, as I bend to kiss her cheek,
says, I thought you were going to eat me!

Alexandra Corrin-Tachibana’s collection, Sing me down from the dark (Salt, 2022) is in its third issue. She teaches for The Poetry Business, The Writing School and The Writing Well, and has been published widely including in P.N. Review, The North and Poetry Wales.  In 2023, she was shortlisted for the Fish Prize and Leeds Poetry Festival Award, highly commended in The Winchester Prize and longlisted for the National Poetry Competition. In November, she will visit Futaba, to give a presentation on zuihitsu, at The Japan Writer's conference.

Alexandra wrote the following about her poem:

Unsuitable Things is inspired by The Pillow Book of Sei Shōnagon, who was  pioneer of the Japanese zuihitsu (‘running brush’) form and 10th century companion of the Japanese Empress. I love her feisty and intimate tone. Her ‘list poems’ are pertinent and amusing, with a surprisingly contemporary feel, and jump from mundane everyday things to bigger issues. I hope I have achieved a similar trajectory. My poem began as a list, but I followed my ear and it took surprising turns, moving from poorly designed teabags to issues of communication and the power of language: things cannot be unsaid!