Shini-tai (死に体)
When will you laugh again?
Or smile that impish smile?
We wrestled first with the miles
And the ocean between us.
Then, stepped in the pandemic,
The gigantic, elephantine sumotori,
Slamming our puny selves,
And pushing and shoving us,
Inexorably, to the very edge.
If we are lucky,
We may still be in the ring,
But yet, shini-tais we will be.
© Abie Alexander
Greenbelt, MD May 14, 2021
Notes:
Sumotori: a sumo wrestler
Shini-tai: is a term used in sumō wrestling for a rare situation when the apparent loser (i.e., the first to touch the outside of the ring) is still declared the victor for his superior technique that placed the opponent (shini-tai) in a hopeless situation. The term literally means ‘dead body’ and can indicate a wish for death.
Wonderful. The feelings of humanity very well captured.