by Bruce Berney

Dedicated to Frederik L. Schodt

Prologue

1. Arrival in San Francisco

Twenty stormy days at sea,
Why did we ever go?
It might have been that all our friends
Were saying ikimasho!

2. "Schoolboys"

I used to get good grades in school,
I even wrote a POME.
If I don't peel the spuds just right,
The keto will say, "Go home!"

3.

Early to rise and late to bed
Is now the life of our poor Fred.
See him fall and watch him crawl,
Then listen to the keto bawl.

4.

Frank's very bright and very strong,
If you want a schoolboy,
So cleaning a stove is easy as pie
Even if it is omoi.

5.

Back in Japan when we take baths,
Our backs the jochu will scrub,
But here you'd better think again,
When the lady is in the tub!

6.

"HALLOW my dear little parrot, dear,
Do you want a CRACKA?"
But the backward bird could just be heard
To answer, "Tare-baka!"

7.

"My pals and I are very poor,
Too bad the dog my lunch ate."
If Madam learns you drank the milk,
Your employment she will truncate.

8.

Gosh, it's good to be off work,
Let's have a night on the town.
How 'bout Chinese noodles and two-bit girls
Till the cable cars have shut down?
Gosh, these hills are mighty steep,
First fun, and then comes pain,
"Hold up," said the thug... "Don't you move."
It's a shabby way to gain!

9.

"I'll have to borrow the Mister's clothes,
The dorobo got mine."
So to the clinic Charlie went,
The doctor was very kind.

10

"SO SOLLY I BLOKE THE COOKIE JAR,
It made a lot of noise."
But accidents will happen fast
To Japanese schoolboys.

11. Mistaken Identity

"It's school vacation, so quit your job,
We'll do better on a farm."
But it's no Jap schoolboy the lady finds;
He's a consul. But there's no harm.

12. Working on a Farm

Sleeping on straw is just the thing
For our two blanket boys;
But the reclaimed land isn't so grand;
It's the shaking that annoys.

13.

Look at my hands. These blisters hurt,
Why are we working here?
Changing to a highland job
Would give us a little cheer.

14.

"Crows who try to be cormorants drown,"
Is a typical Japanese saying;
Frank and Charlie should've been working,
'Stead of having so much fun playing.

15. News of a Parent's Death

"A lot of mail, but none from Dad,
My God! This says he's dead!"
In Charlie's grief, he drank too much,
He must have lost his head.
So to Henry he goes to be consoled,
To the country Henry takes him.
But sadly he sees a cemetery;
The crematory shakes him.

16. Charlie's Decadence

"It seems like ages since I came here,
And all I've done is waste time.
I'll do some gambling...may get rich;
Maybe now's my ace-time."

17.

"One man loses, and the other man wins."
Our Charlie won only rice.
Henry and Frank, they both agree
That he should take their advice.

18.

"It's a good time to bet on a card.
Getting rich won't be very hard.
They'll call me a king,
And one other thing,
I won't be a damn bastard.

19. The Shoe Salesman

"Could you treat me to some chop suey?"
Thegeisha did ask Frank.
When he realized it was but a dream,
His rising spirits sank.

20. The Great San Francisco Quake

Bamboo groves are surely safe
When land begins to quake.
This morning possessions were very fine,
But now they're a real headache!

21.

With martial law, we can't complain
About the American army.
We dug a latrine to keep ladies clean.
I wish one of 'em would charm me.

22.

"The crab digs a hole that suits its shell,
Our home now will be this tent."
With some tabemona, they followed an onna,
Right past the guard they went.

23.

Chin up! Let's start our own cafe;
We'll be a huge success.
A jishin no sensei came their way.
A rock made his head a mess.

24. Plain Cook

Frank was hired as a family cook;
He had to roast a chicken.
Too late he heard one should clean the bird,
So the diners not to sicken.

25. Work in a Store

Charlie applies to clerk in a store,
He's tired of washing dishes.
But it's menial work: surely not a clerk,
It sure doesn't suit his wishes.

26. The Crisis over Japanese School Children

When California banned Jap students,
The heads of state intervened.
Then to a large family Charlie's exposed,
His trousers need to be cleaned.

27. Japanese Immigrants Arriving via Hawaii

Charlie goes to the 'Frisco dock
And saw immigrants this land to share,
But when he's ashamed to help someone,
He pretends he doesn't care.

28.

To Japanese immigrants moved in hog carts
America's far from heaven.
The Japanese Exclusion Act
Began in 1907.

29. Frank and Charlie Enjoy an "Illumination" Show

While watching navy searchlights streak,
Talk entertains our blockheads.
But getting sleepy with serious subjects,
They accidently knock heads.

30. A Visit by the President

When you're short, it's hard to see a parade
When everyone else is standing.
But the marching band, and the president grand...
Our experience is expanding.

31. When the Golden Gate Bank Failed

"Little and often fills the purse."
Is a worthy Japanese saying.
They each start a bank account to see their savings mount,
But the bank that has failed isn't paying.

32. The Panama Pacific International Exposition

Charlie spends a day at the fair
Doing more than drinking tea.
His investment in a pretty maid
Really surprised Henry!

33.

A little red hat and a pretty blue dress
Is what she decided to wear.
But the woman he hugged had a fearsome mug.
He machigaimashita, I fear.

34.

An upper class princess, the teahouse girl?
Frank thinks she's a little strange.
But while waiting on an amusement ride,
The boys get stuck out of range.

35. (A cinquain)

That's fine...
That's wonderful...
A fascinating dance...
I feel I could live forever.
Me too.

36. The Rice of Colusa

"It's great to see you guys again,"
Fred said when he came back.
That night in bed, old Charlie cried,
"I'm having a rice attack!"

37.

So they invested several grand
To grow a crop of grain,
But it rained so hard on all the land,
The rice washed down the drain.

38.

The doctor wants to get ahead,
So he invests in rice,
But the market goes down, it's really dead,
The doctor should have thought twice.

39.

The bald headed manno mama-san
Bet on Colusa rice.
But her janitor husband had the last laugh;
She shouldn't have rolled the dice.

40. Picture Brides

His face was kicked by a horse.
Now he's not so handsome, of course.
But he sent a good photo,
To pretty Miss Goto,
And now he's full of remorse.

41.

The bride has arrived, hotel is reserved,
"And now, my dear, you're mine."
On seeing his face, her anguish is real,
"BUT AFTER THE CLOUD THE SUN IS SHINE."

42.

Wishing for marriage is Fred,
He needs to move ahead.
He sends a shashin<
And starts to dream
Of a sturdy double bed.

43.

Well, Fred's wife turned out to be large.
Her nickname should have been "Sarge."
But after a while
With a wee bit of guile,
Fred learned just how to take charge.

44. The Great War in Europe

Charlie and Frank now talk of the war---
Of European bunkers.
Then taking a walk Charlie falls.
In a sewer most briefly he hunkers.

45.

"CHARIE, I prayed for your return
From your army years---no vacations!"
He expected to vote, but we sadly note,
Citizenship's denied to Asians.

46. Influenza

Frank and Charlie are talking in bed
About the Spanish flu.
Since the King of Spain had it first,
It's a royal disease in their view.

47. Prohibition

"The better the sake, the lighter the load,"
We love our milk made of rice.
We have a new friend; we'll see him again.
He's the milk-loving, thirsty police.

48. The Turlock Incident

"Get away from our White town!"
To Japs the rednecks yelled.
"Get on, now, scoot, or you all we'll shoot!"
From Turlock they were propelled.

The labor contractor was very laid back;
He didn't go berserk.
"To be a farm worker and then catch hell
Is all in a good day's work."

49. The Alien Land Act

Fred and his wife in seven years
Had six little kodomo.
"The only way for us to thrive
Is having MO AND MO."

50. Meant for Each Other

Charlie has help to find a bride
With a little deception.
Though neither are rich, they have love between,
And no problem with conception.

51. Mutual Downfall

To feed their kids, they began a fruit store.
And when they looked out the door,
They saw competition had come full bore.
The new fruit store, Bargains Galore!

52.

Four green fishing floats...
Rolling for years on the beach.
Then...the waves take two.

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Contents on this page copyright (c) Bruce Berney, 1999

http://www.jai2.com/HKBBPTRY.htm
Site copyright 1999, Frederik L. Schodt
Revised -- October 04, 2008