ZZZZ

While asleep completely,

2022 turned

Into 2023...

Advice

If curious

About your fate

Don't act

Just wait

Somewhere In China, Late-2022

Fist fight at the crematorium

Over who's next turn,

To shove their Covid corpse

Into the oven to burn...

Tactical Pause

Tired brain worries, wracks,

Better to find Zen,

Slow down, and relax...

お焚き上げ

Flames from burning votives

Cast a flickering light,

Across the shrine courtyard,

Solemn New Year's night...

Keep On Trucking

Slog on, try to

Do your best,

And the gods will

Take care of the rest...

Lifeforce

Narcissus, visited by

Tiny Winter bees,

In dirt which

Doesn't freeze,

Small green hope

Under empty trees...

The Trick Of Time

Cold dry evening air,

Under waxing Moon,

Another year

Will be ending soon,

Or so the clocks

And calendars proclaim,

But apart from that,

Things feel the same...

Whew

War-torn, infected, 2022,

Finally ended,

Somehow, we made it through...

Sequential

Another new day,

Feels the same,

Similar to yesterday,

It has no name...   

Bench Time

When gravity gets too heavy,

Declare, for a moment, defeat,

Find a good spot, catch your 

Breath, take a seat...

We Won't Get Fooled Again

The whole purpose for 

Building the wall

Was to keep them out,

Prevent our ruler's fall,

But the wall didn't work,

The invaders arrived,

Those who resisted died,

Those who didn't survived,

The attackers took over,

Their profit, our loss,

Meet the new boss,

Same as the old boss...

Post-Dogma

Brainwashed from childhood,

We had faith, we believed,

Then later found it all to be untrue,

We're empty now, relieved,

Guilt-gnawings cease,

Replaced by a modicum of peace...

Deterrent Design

The park bench has been designed,

To prevent it from being used as a bed,

So, the tired homeless dude just goes

To sleep on the ground, nearby, instead...

年末年始

Approaching the Solstice,

Cold dry, late-December,

The year past being

Something not to remember,

We, almost instinctively,

Gather, family and friends,

Reaffirm our love for each

Other, as the year ends...

Green Power

In a crack in the pavement,

From a random seed,

Bursts up into the light,

A renegade weed…

朝の音

Urban awakening,

Things are stirring,

Rubber-on-asphalt

Whirring-purring,

Rushing machines

Groan and roar,

A morning’s peace

Exists no more…

Salvage

Hope and

Expectation hover,

As efforts are made

To recover,

Patiently

Paying the cost,

To revive

Love lost...

Cause And Effect

Luckily, his distraction

Helped to prevent

A nonconstructive action...

Magic Melody

The lovely old song

Caused her to come up for air

From a dark quiet place

Of despair...

How It Started

Animals and gods hadn't a clue

About what would transpire,

Toxic transformations, after

Man discovered fire...

Nocturnal

Adventures, fear,

Magical schemes,

Endlessly swirling

In my dreams...

After 5

A good stiff drink

To relieve the stress,

Makes you happy,

Feelings undress,

Then burst and release,

Leaving some kind of peace...

Mind Control

Re-focus and repress,

Bad memories disappear

More or less...

Time Management

Generally helps to think

Ahead, have a plan,

And make sure to take

A nap, when you can...

Over Tea

Old ones gathered

They gossip and chatter

All vital to them, but

Otherwise doesn't matter...