In walking from work, one day, I came across something on a wall; it wasn’t entirely like the underpass virgins that infest particular neighborhoods, bestowing mundane miracles upon the faithful. It was something however. I like it. In keeping with the theme of what I saw, I suspect that there is a Japanese phrase that touches the core of what might be depicted here. In Japanese poetry (primarily the waka or tanka form) there are modes of poetic treatment intended to define the basis of any given poem. I suspect that these modes can be applied to any art. I wasn’t thinking of Tanka-poetry when I took this photograph, nor was I thinking in Japanese (something I can’t actually do, despite having studied Japanese for a year.) I was only thinking of graffiti, but there’s a Japanese phrase that fits what I’ve seen: omoshiroki tei. If I’m not mistaken, it means “An interesting take.” And, hopefully, I didn’t just tell you that your horse is burning. Anyway, that phrase, if I translated it right, would define this photo. I’ve never seen Chicago symbols and the downtown Chicago area code embedded in an image that really has nothing to do with Chicago. The last time I checked, Ukiyo-e style Blackhawks fans weren’t a normal aspect of Chicago-based art, and yet, I walked under Lake Shore Drive, and saw The Floating World and a dragon emblazoned on crumbling, rust-stained concrete; I was amused. I started thinking about Japanese poetry and hockey fans. I started asking myself if hockey fans like Japanese poetry, or if Japanese poets like hockey. In short, I had fun for a few moments on a particular day, and it was all because of an image, a spray-can depiction of The Floating World with a Blackhawks fan glaring in hockey-jersey red within close proximity of an anomalous dragon. He has four claws, but I can’t remember what that means. Four-or-five-claw dragons mean very specific things. One is lucky, the other is not, but I can’t remember which is which, but given the expression on the dragon’s face, I suspect this one is simply…um…well…amused by the joke he’s just heard. The one about the hockey fan and the sumo wrestler. You know the one. It’s hilarious! As always, thank you for viewing and reading and commenting, and I hope you’re all having a great week.