Two Poems
by Tamiko Dooley
Hoshi (Star)
At your childhood home in Nakano
We would lie on futons in your old bedroom
On the ceiling would be hundreds of stars
When the light first turned out
They brightened the room
As the night wore on they grew dimmer
Once I woke mid-nightmare, encased in darkness
I had to remember that if I recharged them, let them see the light
They could shine again
Regain their glow, as celestial orbs
When we stayed in Nakano
They grew dimmer
I had to remember
Hundreds of stars
Permeable
I heard you laughing
kimi ga waratta
From the room next door
tonari no heya de
When I asked what was funny
nani ga okashii ka kikuto
You had forgotten
kimi wasureteta
Walls that let sound in
oto ga toru kabe
Keep feelings out
omoi ga toranai kabe
Tamiko read Latin and French at New College, Oxford. She was the winner of the BBC Radio 3 carol competition 2021.