After “Haiku on Shit” By Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902), tr. Ikuho Amano & James Shea, Poetry (May 2022)
Squish!
The sound of my cleated sole
stepping into dog shit
Mixed big and small turds
on my stove top – Mama Mouse
orienting her babes
Human shit
on the sidewalk – homeless
or caught short?
Following the wolf
by tracing her warm scat –
reading sign
Reading and writing
haiku on shit grows respect
for shit