GEISHA: Some thoughts on sexism and cultural relics

    finely powdered
    lacquer dolls
    masters ah disguise

    splendid butterflies
    calculating when
    to play for pay
    & massage customer egos
    in elegant ways

    with eyes
    sharper than samurai blades
    they can cut cash
    from wallets
    as clients
    mutter
    "Arigato"
    in a daze


An-Yi:   Aren't geisha sexist symbols?

Daiki:   (nonchalantly) Not necessarily. With skillful intention, anything can denote almost anything else.

Chariya: (sighing) It is hard to make unversal statements about any cultural artifacts. Indeed,
         each artifact often has many levels of irony within it.

An-Yi:   So why not accept the paradox be without the need for labels?

Bhäraté: Ah, but humans are often fond of stereotypes and labels.


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from _Pan-Asian Pulses: Poetry, Art, and Dialogs about Asia_ by T Newfields 
SUMMARY: An art work, poem, & dialog about Japanese geisha, sexism, and labels.
KEYWORDS: Japanese cultural symbols, geisha, sexism, cultural artifacts, stereotypes

Author: T Newfields [Nitta Hirou / Huáng Yuèwǔ] (b. 1955) 
Begun: 1995 in Shizuoka, Japan  ≜ Finished: 2021 in Yokohama, Japan 
Creative Commons License: Attribution. {{CC-BY-4.0}} Granted 

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TRANSLATIONS 

ESPAÑOL:  https://www.tnewfields.info/es/ccc.htm 
NIHONGO:  https://www.tnewfields.info/jp/koora.htm 
ZHŌNGWÉN: https://www.tnewfields.info/zh/kekoukele.htm