Hikikomori and the pomelo moon, 2021
It’s normal to sometimes feel like you want to hide away from the stresses and pressures of the outside world. In fact, short-lived periods of withdrawal can reduce acute stress responses and can help us overcome illness and exhaustion. Periods of solace and isolation can also help with important phases of personal growth. But some people don’t remerge from natural periods of isolation. Instead, they show
extreme and persistent withdrawal lasting for decades. In Japan, this pattern of behaviour is so common it’s now known as “hikikomori”. Hikikomori ( ひきこもり ), loner or "modern-day hermit" is someone who seeks total withdrawal from society and extreme degrees of social isolation and confinement.
My ongoing series of hikikomori is about honoring the growth that takes place in our bodies when we experience trauma
Melancholy Melody
Some nights I feel fragile
and swamped
Ugh! I feel so controlled.
Not by myself, of course,
But by things that surround
On which I got no hold.
So I embrace myself
and mask the gloom,
To face the flurry cold.
One mustn't glimpse my frailty.
Can't help but wonder,
Why must I stay bold?
Seasonal Joy
And she made herself home
Ocarina, harp and lyre
Danced with the gnomes
They were ready for choir
For the joy that last
snapping into hours.
Seconds of the past
This time, it's ours!
Circus Act
They look at me as a circus act
I'm twisted and pushed on my back
they look at me as an acrobat
Maybe I am a maniac
We all take part disguised by lies
don't be fooled by those eyes.
We are famous for our flips and tricks
in a circus built on sticks.
Phoney Casque
She talks to her embellished mask
Of guilt, pleasure and trust
Rose the red pom, the single hornèd casque,
They all turn into gold dust.