I have written about many books, and attempted to introduce people to many authors of fiction whose work held special appeal to me, particularly within the deeply underappreciated field of Japanese literature. Folks such as Kobo Abe, Yukio Mishima, and Kenzaburo Oe have all been subjects of my ham-handed reviews and mini-biographies, but I have only once written about poetry, and never about Japanese poetry. Faced with a deadline for a piece, my mind fixated on the idea of discussing different Japanese poets to offer a broad introduction, and to share, for once, my love of poetry.
I also have to thank Brecht, for sharing his project with me so graciously and giving me free reign. I kept telling him I was going to do one project and then changing it, and this project also represents a change towards a different creative impulse. I hope that no one is dissatisfied with the overview that follows, and I hope that working with poetry is not outside the realm of this series. For me, poetry can go boom, in providing guidance in life, comfort, and philosophic engagement that helps to develop the creative drive and the individual's understanding of the world and their place in it, as well as the impulses of other human beings. I'm actually glad to write this time on a subject that is new to many here, and to hopefully influence you to seek further reading.
