When I can’t read two sentences without drifting off, I sleep. When the sun comes up, I awaken.
PROMPT: Bed
Reply
Author Archives: B Gourley
Lost in a Fog [Free Verse]
Lost
in a foggy wood.
all the trees alike,
no long view,
no hint of the sun's position...
(or existence.)
just the vertical stripes of
straight pinetree trunks --
like the bars
of the cell
of a giant --
laid against a fluffy white
backdrop.
I can scurry between
the bars, like a mouse,
but am still lost
and still caged.
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
DAILY PHOTO: Views from Geumjeongsan
BOOK: “The Life of an Amorous Man” by Ihara Saikaku [Trans. by Chris Drake]
The Life of an Amorous Man: A Novel of Love and Desire in Old Japan by Ihara SaikakuMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publisher Site – Tuttle
On sale October 14, 2025
Original Title: 好色一代男
As the title suggests, this novel is presented as the biography of a man who is — shall we say — a horndog. Actually, it would be more correct to say that it is the story of the man’s sex life, as it begins with his sexual awakening as a boy of seven and tells stories of his relationships and dalliances throughout his life until he reaches the age of sixty and is no longer physically capable of the act. Of course, the novel does describe non-amorous life events such as the protagonist’s (i.e. Yonosuke’s) brief time as a monk and as (what in modern terms would be called) a “trust-fund kid.” Yonosuke is from a wealthy merchant family, though his inability to keep his mind on task sees him disowned for many years. So, he leads lives both rich and poor, but never without lust in his heart.
Given that the book focuses on Yonosuke’s interactions with geisha and varied sex workers, one might expect that it is a work of erotica (or even pornography.) It is neither. There is no graphic description of sexual activities and often those events are glossed over altogether. This book will be of much more interest to those interested in what life in Edo Period Japan was like, and particularly how sex work operated as a regulated industry with licit and illicit domains, than to anyone wishing to read erotica for sensual or prurient purposes.
The book has a series of illustrations (one per chapter) that were drawn by the author and appeared in the original (1682) edition. There are also poems (tanka and haiku) sprinkled in here and there, many of which were invocative in their own right.
If you are interested in historical Japan and / or its “floating world,” you’ll find this book to be an interesting read. It’s highly readable and entertaining.
View all my reviews
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
“Gubbinal” by Wallace Stevens [w/ Audio]
That strange flower, the sun,
Is just what you say.
Have it your way.
The world is ugly,
And the people are sad.
That tuft of jungle feathers,
That animal eye,
Is just what you say.
That savage of fire,
That seed,
Have it your way.
The world is ugly,
And the people are sad.
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
PROMPT: Comfort
Daily writing prompt
What strategies do you use to increase comfort in your daily life?
I never writhe in a tub of broken glass… anymore.
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
Solitary [Haiku]
solitary flower
bows in a Spring breeze --
then stands upright.
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
The Wall [Haiku]
young trees curve away
from the ancient wall
of a fallen fortress.
Share on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.
DAILY PHOTO: Little Buddhas
“Little Echoed Hills” [小重山] by Yue Fei [岳飞] [w/ Audio]
Last night chirps resounded in the cold,
Through witching hour no sleep occurred.
I rose and slowly walked, alone.
Moonlight window glow, but no one stirred.
I've grayed in service and search of fame.
On hills, back home, the pines have grown old.
That's the story I'd let my lute tell,
If a string weren't broken &
there was someone to be told.
Tiger Riding for Beginners 