MRJ

He only feels alive
When he can drive,
Which fills his need
For freedom and speed,
Movement, control,
And his empty soul...

Spartan Effect

It was a mistake
That was clear to see
Things were stuck
Like the Persians
At Thermopylae

Pressure

Move or wait
Either will
Affect your fate
Choose before
It is too late...

納涼

Yukata-clad Japanese
Bursting fire-flowers
Evening breeze...

Preflight

Nor quite ready to wake
And face the day ahead
I drift back into the
Mist of dreams instead

Inari Jinja

Ancient shrine on a hilltop,
Holy spot, as quiet as can be,
A cicada alights on my chest,
Must think that I'm a tree...

A Guy I See In The Park

Bird-man comes to the
Park, early, every day,
Same shirt and same hat,
Always the same way,
He swings a golf club,
Walks, repeats his routine
Each day, feeding the birds,
I think he's a machine...

問題解決

If money is distributed
To all involved
The usual result is
"Problem solved"

More Smiles Please

Our limited time
On planet Earth
Is best to be filled
With laughter an mirth

There It Is

A day spent ignoring
Internet news
Is a day well used

Noise

Listening to cicadas
In full voice
Summer is here
I have no choice

Dead Cat In A Public Park

There's no way to tell how
The cat came to be lying
Lifeless on the walkway
The method of its dying
So unlike a cat, even a stray
Would find a private place
And cat-like disappear
Without leaving a trace

Potential Relief

Another hot day in the concrete hive
Where parched workers wait
For the typhoon to arrive...

お疲れ様

Night train from Tokyo, after

Work hours have expired,

Catatonic commuters 

Sit, oblivious and tired...

Strong Spark Of Life

The frail old lady is shrivelled and weak
Yet she continues to hang on tight
To the immobile shrunken thing that
Is her life, and it is a losing fight
I suppose she must know,
Having outlived all her friends,
She strives, alone, to draw each
Breath, before the whole thing ends...

Prescience

Maybe it's a form of wisdom or just
A sixth sense from getting old
But she can detect how things
Will end, without being told...

OJT

Folks do things the hard way
Their experience is earned
Same lessons in their history
Books unread and unlearned

Caused By Friction

Sometimes, persistence
Wanes, with time
And distance

River City Independence Day, 1976

July the 4th in Omaha,
Just around noon,
The sign tells me
It's not too soon,
Get off the street
And out of the heat,
Howl at the moon...
For today is the day
That we became free,
To think, and drink,
Independently...

Angry Hangover

A crazy man screaming,
In a gray morning's light,
I listen, lying in bed,
He is losing a fight
With something in his head,
I think, as his cries
Fade in the sunrise...