Bathroom Poetry

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Scrawled in magic marker on the wall of a bathroom stall at the the Thomas Edison Service Area on the New Jersey Turnpike was this beautiful piece of poetry. Ono No Komachi was a Japanese poet who wrote in the 800s, though not much else is known about her.

Three other translations of the poem are available on this page, which says this poem, KKS938, was written in response to a provincial official’s request that she join him for some sightseeing in the country.

The translation in the photo is uncredited, but may be an anime reference.


So lonely am I.
A floating weed,
Cut at the root.
If there was water to invite
I would follow
I think.

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