Self-Expression

Expression is                        表現に
my way out of                       私は私の
the impression I get           出口を探す
It cannot stay                       印した象は
inside me unsaid                 表わさずにはおられない

This is a five-line poem (五行歌) written by my new friend Takao Nakanishi of Shonan Kokusai Village. I think it expresses nicely why some people keep (apparently meaningless) blogs (i.e. like me!), take pictures, paint, sing, or participate voluntarily in practically any humanistic endeavor. I think Nakanishi-san captures the human need for self-expression quite elegantly - both in Japanese and English.