Catfish in the Woods -Yoko Danno

My dog suddenly runs off
slipping the leash
startled by a wild beast.

Without blowing
a conch, the giant
fish-god tosses and turns

in the deep ocean bed
heaving his bloated belly
in his millenary sleep –

the mischievous catfish*
plays dirty tricks
belching out muddy billows

over homes, rice paddies
boats, cars, nuclear plants
guzzling them all alive.

Under a tree radioactive
rays filtering through
branches fall on my face.

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Yoko Danno (20th century) Japan
Source: Poetry Kanto
* In Japanese folklore a giant catfish living underground causes earthquakes.