After Basho

Carolyn Kizer


After Basho

Tentatively, you
slip onstage this evening,
pallid famous moon.


The tittle of this poem makes me believe that after an event or person called Basho that somebody was able to come and take the stage now. I quickly looked it up to find that Basho was a haiku poet and was very respected and skilled at what he did. Carolyn Kizer is showing her respect for him and realizes he was the big name in the haiku area of the time. She is saying now that he is gone others can finally slip onto the stage and take their place and try to shine like he did.

Kizer's use of metaphor in this poem is a very useful tool that makes this poem meaningful. She compares "you", an unknown writer, to the pale moon. It's as if saying that you haven't had time to shine bright yet because this other guy has been so marvelous and bright that everyone has been absorbed with him. Now however, since he is gone, other poets can "slip onstage" and become brighter in the eyes of readers and writers because this once bright sun is now gone these people that are compared to the moon can step in and try to fulfill his place.