The Northwest times. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1947-1955, 1954-01-13


in bold black: Okada. Okada
That's you. You, the little man
with the slight stoop that no tailor
in Tokyo can hide. You. the man
with the nondescript face You, O.
kada, the man who only dares to
worship afar. Okada, the plodder
the eternal bookkeeper, the man
who curses himself fiercely when
loneliness rolls down from the cell
ing IN your room and brushes you
and your brain RACES at the bonds
that shyness has woven.
This. just this waiting in the
morning with your muted brain say
ing again and again. MY darl-
ing. you will arrive soon and I can
not wait until you come in the door
And when you do my darling the
calm leaves my heart and the thou
sand black hauntings flee from me
like tiny mice scampering away
just your coming in the door
just that means more to me than
the quintessence Of soft zephyrs of
spring day in the mountains. g..
more than all the pastel glories of
the Creators sunsets These
things sing in your heart your,
Okada wasting away with shoulders
stopped over interminable columns.
And then at 10 o'clock, Otaru will
waddle over to your desk with his
jolly face wreathed in the smile that
never fades Otaru the mellow,
with the bouncy body and the open
shirt that spills his chins You al
ways welcome him not because of
the fragrant tea but but because O.
taru knows and he is a poet
He knows and he listens to whate-
Yer you say even the irrational
poetic things you sly 1t wasn't al
ways so The first six months aft
er she came and you knew
that you loved her. Otaru mere
ly brought the tea and you talked OF
banal things business things, num-
dane things circumscribed by your
little lives. And then he noticed
your staring. your covert
staring. How long before he men
toned it? You don't know Maybe
long time but then one day. very
quietly he talked to you
"Okada san he'd said in his rich
actors voice "She is very pretty but
7 don't think she's for you" Your
| face had crimsoned then. Your
hands had clenched and you'd al
most bolted but Otaru he was
kindly and older and wisdom lay in
his eyes. had added: "She has had
special training. old friend She is
only waiting here until her oppor-
tunity comes, then she'll leave this
job and take something that utilities
he" special training You remem-
Der Otaru's unhurried words but you
never asked him what training she
had had.
After that, you didn't find it dit
ficult to talk to Otaru and strange
ly. or you thought SO at first
he began to ask you the
questions that would lead you tc
speak of her.
1t wasn't difficult at all She'c
stay in the office at lunchtime anc
she'd talk to the other girls anc
both of you would listen to the flu
ting of her voice You began tt
bring in the little poems that vol
wrote at night or the notes you'c
jotted in the loneliness of your e.
venings.
Otaru would listen gravely He'C
nod and listen and often you'd low
! er your voice because many time!
she'd stop talking and there'd b.
silence and you'd sense that she wa!
looking at Otaru and me You new
er knew why You suppose it wa
curiosity: two men talking quietl!
and unfortunately.
Otaru is waddling toward you. IL
has the tea cups full and you know
it will be pleasant because it is chill
| ly here today. And, you have some
thing special for Otaru You hav
written the poem that you neve
dared to write before A man sci
dom allows another man to hea
such a poem. but. somehow
Otaru is an alter ego now.
| Otaru places the tea on your desl
carefully and settles his bulk int
the chair.
! To-day" you say. I'm going Il
make you curl your lip maybe.
have written a love poem that out