isogi

the gun carnage now includes
sympathy for the devil

the devil’s base is fortified
their bloodied hero
using the same word he used
to get them mobbed up
and storming the citadel of the Republic:

‘fight’

the good guys are stunned
and wondering what body blow is next
and how our country
can possibly avoid
a repressive dictatorship

since ‘fight’ has already been appropriated
here is another effort-word:

‘isogi’

it is medieval Japanese for ‘pull’
and saw service in the novel SHOGUN
by james clavell
when pilot Blackthorne had his ship
in the jaws of a typhoon
and the only chance for the crew’s survival
was for the oarsmen to pull on the oars
with all of their might;
with more than their might; with
superhuman effort

“ISOGI!!!” screamed the Anjin-San
and put into his demanding voice
an elixir of strength

and in so doing
was himself transformed
from a foreign devil
into a formidable ally

and the ship and crew were saved
because the oarsmen
did the impossible

so you
you who are worried sick
that the country as we know it
is going down in flames

you have a job to do
you have the impossible to do

but your weapons are sense
and REAL patriotism
and the sure knowledge
that your cause is just

so let us grip our oars
let us defy the typhoon
and pull beyond all

I S O G I