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Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma

author, poet, teacher, and performer

  • Books
    • THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural
    • The Safety of Edges
    • Give, Eat, and Live: Poems of Avvaiyar
    • Body and Earth
    • A Feast for the Tongue
    • Juan Rulfo’s Pedro Páramo
    • Other Writings
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“Improvisation” from The Safety of Edges

April 2, 2021

A poem about meeting the music of each moment.

IMPROVISATION

only happens
                        when it happens

though years may have passed
       so what happens
might happen

the musician who gets it right
       gets it right
              right now

       don’t wait
when it happens
       happen

“Improvisation,” by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma
THE SAFETY OF EDGES
Marrowstone Press, Seattle

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“Magnolias Have Large Petals” from the Tamil poet Avvaiyar | மடல்பெரிது தாழை

March 29, 2021

A poem about size and true strength by the 12th century Tamil woman, poet, and saint Avvaiyar. From her collection, “The Word that Endures.”

Magnolias have large petals; honeysuckles, a sweet fragrance.
Don’t judge a man small by his body.
                                                             The sea is vast
Yet cannot clean hands. Beside it, the little spring
Yields sweet water.

Moothurai 12, “Madal perithu thazhai.”

Translated from the Tamil by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma
GIVE, EAT, AND LIFE: POEMS OF AVVAIYAR
Red Hen Press, Los Angeles

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“Pocket Watch” from The Safety of Edges

March 19, 2021

A poem about gratitude and the passage of time.

POCKET WATCH

Each day when I remember
I wind the old watch
hanging from its stand
where it watches my desk

you told me you liked it
Grandpa remembered
take it you should have it
Lloyd fixed it last year
it runs well enough for its age

and it does
                     it stands
at the edge of my mornings
running and still

                              if I listen
I can hear
                  what he told me
about life
                  time passes
faster than you think

remembering his voice
I take the old watch
wind it renew it set it
on its stand

                      and dare
to enjoy the time
that I have that I know
won’t last forever

“Pocket Watch,” by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma
THE SAFETY OF EDGES
Marrowstone Press, Seattle

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“Between the King and the Careful Poet,” from the Tamil poet Avvaiyar | மன்னனும் மாசறக் கற்றோனும்

March 12, 2021

A poem about poetry and power by the 12th century Tamil woman, poet, and saint Avvaiyar. From her collection, “The Word that Endures.”

Between the king and the careful poet, the poet
Has greater glory.
                              Apart from his kingdom
A king has nothing. Every place a poet goes—
Praise.

Moothurai 26, “Mannanum maasara kattronum.”

Translated from the Tamil by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma
GIVE, EAT, AND LIFE: POEMS OF AVVAIYAR
Red Hen Press, Los Angeles

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THE SONG AND THE SILENCE: TALKING WITH SHIN YU PAI

March 5, 2021

Shin Yu Pai: ENSO

I recently had a wonderful, far-reaching conversation with my friend, the poet, artist, speaker, and curator Shin Yu Pai. Our talk explored embodiment, mothering, teachers, and the practice of devotion, and was published today in The Rumpus:

The Song and the Silence: Talking with Shin Yu Pai

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What is Cascadian Zen? A Talk at Seattle University

January 24, 2021

Talk delivered on February 15, 2020. Organized loosely around exploring the relationship between the Cascadian bioregion as it intersects with Zen ideas, practices, and aesthetics, Seattle University hosted a diverse group of writers interested in exploring the question of “What is Cascadian Zen?” through their poetic and/or philosophical writing.

Thomas on Words and Wonder
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“When doing good to a man,” a poem from the Tamil poet Avvaiyar

November 23, 2020

A poem about gratitude and transformation by the 12th century Tamil woman, poet, and saint Avvaiyar. From her collection, “The Word that Endures.”

When doing good to a man, do not ask
If he’ll do good.
                          Tall-standing coconut palms,
Tireless and growing, take water at their roots
And return it, sweet, from above.

Translated from the Tamil by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma
GIVE, EAT, AND LIFE: POEMS OF AVVAIYAR
Red Hen Press, Los Angeles

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Free Performances in May and Wonder From Home

May 1, 2020

The Magic of Words in a Poet-Magician's Yurt

During the month of May I’m honored to present several online performances.

Cozy Grammar is offering free access to these two shows for the entire month:

  • A Thousand Thanks: The Gift of Sadako and Her Cranes, a show I wrote for the Family Series at Vashon Center for the Arts (VCA) about the book Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr.
  • By Heart: A Celebration of Words, Magic, and Memory, a show I premiered at Open Space for Arts and Community about how poets and poetry sing memory alive, join past, present, and future, and reveal what’s really in our hearts and minds.

You can learn more and access the performances on Cozy Grammar’s Free Resources page.

And if you’d like to share them with friends, please feel free to pass this information along.

A Thousand Thanks: The GIft of Sadako and Her Cranes

A Thousand Thanks: The Gift of Sadako and Her Cranes

By Heart: A Celebration of Words, Magic, and Memory

By Heart: A Celebration of Words, Magic, and Memory

I’m also happy to announce that the NPR recording of my January talk at Town Hall Seattle has been posted to KUOW’s website:

A world where poetry meets magic and wonder | John O’Brien

You’re welcome to share this as well or simply enjoy the recording in a spare moment should you so desire.

Wonder From Home

Last, in a new experiment for me, I’ve been asked by Atlas Obscura‘s “Wonder From Home” series to present a live event from home on Sunday, May 17th.

It’s called The Magic of Words in a Poet-Magician’s Yurt and will be an hour-long online interactive presentation and workshop, similar to one I recently offered at the Sahrdaya Foundation in Chennai, India.

Tickets are $10. You can read all about it on Altas Obscura’s website.

A headshot of Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma

I hope that these days find you safely at home, discovering even amidst the uncertainty and tumble of events that there can also be wonder and surprise.

Warmly,

Thomas

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