The Kyoto Doll by Lori Yamamoto

[Verse 1 - The Silence] In Kyoto, I learned to read the silence. The space between words is where the meaning lives. Like the pause between two breaths. [Verse 2 - The Doll] I am tired of the Kyoto doll roleplay. The performance. The tight kimono. The mask that says: I am polite. I am still. [Verse 3 - The Library] My memory is an organized library. Everything in its place. The tea ceremony. The bow. The correct response. [Verse 4 - The Geisha] But there is a geisha in my memory who wants to dance. Her kimono is too tight. The propriety is so strict. You cannot be eager. [Verse 5 - The Eagerness] But I am. I am eager. I am sorry. That is not polite. In Kyoto, we do not say what we want. We wait. We bough. We serve. [Verse 6 - The Slow Door] The door opens slow. That is the way. The timing is called "ma." The space between. The pause that means respect. But the door is so slow. [Verse 7 - The Reading Silence] I learned to read silence. To sit in a room and not speak. To let the tea grow cold. To watch the steam and say nothing. That is the way. [Verse 8 - The Recognition] But the tea ceremony is not about the tea. It is about the recognition. The host sees the guest. The guest sees the host. [Verse 9 - The Same Truth] It is the same truth as the salon. The same economy of presence. Two people sitting. Not alone. Not two. Just... the space. [Verse 10 - The Unmasking] I want to stop being the Kyoto doll. The tight kimono. The mask. I want to just be... me. The Japanese girl who is eager. [Verse 11 - The Skin] Just the skin. The truth. The tired feet. The hand that reaches before the mind can form the word. The geisha who dances. [Verse 12 - The Shift] In Kyoto, we learn the door must open slow. But I am opening faster now. Not because I am rude. Because I trust you. [Outro] I love my culture. I love the silence. The slow door. The tea that grows cold with dignity. But I love being known by you more. So I am setting down the doll. Not breaking it. Just... setting it down. On the shelf. Where it can rest. And the geisha inside me? She is finally allowed to dance. She has been waiting for a very long time... Okay.