I tied the moon to

a memory like ill fate

to a mast. The moon

still haunts the sea, each day a

bit stranger, a bit distant.

This poem is inspired by a waka poem by Abe no Nakamaro, an eighth century Japanese poet. Nakamaro's poem can be found in 'One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each: A Treasury of Classical Japanese Poets' (Penguin Classics).