Kaba Tomigaya

Sometimes, friends send me what I like to call: surprise-hippos. My friend saw this hippo guarding somebody's front door, in her neighborhood in Tokyo, named: Tomigaya. She wrote to me that she simply had to take a picture and send it to me. She also named the hippo after the area where she found it! When my friend moved to Japan, one of the first things I asked her was: what is "hippo" in Japanese? She immediately asked her teacher (who must have found it a bit funny, I guess....:-)) and found out it is: Kaba. So that explains the title of this post. A few weeks ago, one of my fellow hippo-collectors Diane shared her winning haiku sequence with the group. As haiku is a Japanese poetic form, I thought it would be nice to publish a "Japan special" this week! She won First Honorable Mention in the contest, which was the June Monthly contest sponsored by the Poets' Roundtable of Arkansas, her state poetry society. She enjoys writing haiku because she likes the challenge of saying what she wants to say well and in a limited number of syllables. The 'chosen' subject was "Why I love...." .... no need to guess what it is she loves! Dear Muriel, thank you for making and sending the photo, and of course for thinking about me. Still missing you a lot. Hope we will be able to meet up soon! Dear Diane, thank you so much for allowing me to put your haiku on my blog, I would love to read more of your work in the future, whether or not it is about our beloved hippos!
                                             

lumbering on land

pure weightless grace in water

hippos can do both

wide wide open mouth

aggressive survival chomps

closed-mouth – see the smile

oft times     just like me

contradictions define them—

so I love hippos

   

     Photograph by Mrs. Muriel Moorrees - Haiku sequence by Mrs. Diane Stefan

Wood Cut on Silk Screen

The latest hippo-painting, is not really a painting. It is carved out of wood, then printed on a silk screen. Like "Hippo-Pon" and "The Ninth" this painting comes from the art section of the JJ Weekend Market. All the artists know me by now, and I think it will not take long before they will actually call me: khun hippo! Also funny to mention, there is one artist who makes wonderful paintings..... of (mainly floating) elephants, and elephants only! Of course I asked him already whether he could paint me a hippo, but he only wants to paint elephants..... His artist-friends make jokes about it every time I come visit. Unfortunately, I do not speak any Thai, but the message is clear: "you silly man.... just leave out the trunk and make the head a bit wider, and you have a hippo!!! What's your problem?" But no luck so far.... ;-). I am thinking about buying an elephant painting some day.... because I feel a bit sorry for him... being tormented by everybody every time I'm there. Fortunately for me, his colleague Mr. Sitthisak Natheechaichana did not mind to make some hipppo-art. He made 6 prints, and all are numbered, but I have the number 1/6 of course!!

Pema & Tashi

I also could have named this post: Two hippos from Tibet. Let me explain. During our holidays in Nepal, we came to know two ladies from Tibet. They were selling jewelry outside the hotel in Pokhara where we were staying. Our daughters loved to sit next to them, on their carpets and play with all the necklaces and bracelets, putting everything on themselves, and their teddy bears. We have had the privilege to visit the homes of these ladies. They live in a Tibetan Refugee Camp (Tashi Palkhiel), outside of Pokhara, but the term camp is a bit misleading, as it is more a permanent settlement, with a wonderful temple, school and carpet factory. In Pokara City there are many Tibetan shops, and one day I was just looking around. I was not looking for hippos, it actually did not even cross my mind.... but between a few singing bowls and some Buddha statues, I spotted these two bronze hippos. I could not believe my eyes... I do not know whether they were made in Nepal or Tibet, but since I bought them in a Tibetan shop, I like to believe they came from Tibet. I decided to name them after our Tibetan friends. Unfortunately we have not seen them for a long time. I hope all is well with them. I wish them "Tashi Delek" through cyber space.