Ethnic Displacement

Indigenous, we were there first,

We fought the encroachers,

But the outcome was the worst,

Ancestral lands unsaved,

We tried to resist,

Pain would result, blood spilled,

But we lost despite the

Number of squatters killed...

New Year's In Tokyo

One second past midnight,

It's a new year, new day,

Five minutes of excitement,

We toast and kiss and play,

We celebrate the moment

Of change, with Champagne,

Party on, until it's time

To catch the final train...

Looking Ahead

What will the new year bring?

More problems, to be sure,

Or cures, that would be something,

But, take care, for what

Will unfold, could be anything...

朝雨

After a long spell

Of cold and dry,

Morning rain kindly falls

From a gray wet sky...

箱根駅伝

A nation transfixed, following the

Young men running up, then down,

Hakone mountain, competing for the

Long distance relay crown,

Along the race route crowds cheer,

In the cold clear air of the New Year...   

 

 

Holiday Dinner Rules

Family gathering, to prevent   

Becoming angered, annoyed,

Talk about politics, religion,

We all must try to avoid...

お正月の神社

Shrine ground, holy trees,

Sway in the winter breeze, 

Leaves which do not fall,

Cold, green, glisten,

Clap hands at the altar,

The neighborhood Kami's listen...

Global Warming

Way too hot, the summer of

Two Thousand Twenty Three,

All spent indoors,

Air conditioned, continually...

As Things Revolve

The morning of the day

Before the New Year's Eve,

Gather and burn bad

Memories, get ready to leave,

What was once the now,

That will turn into the past somehow...

Slumberland

A long day ended,

Actions finished,,

Energy expended,

I lie in my bed,

Motionless, suspended...

Silver Years

Seventy and still working, 

Give it all I've got,

Better than stuck at home,

With boredom, mind rot…

Eastern Front

Waves of mobilized infantry meat,

Assault into the ordnance hail,

They die in great numbers,

For no victory, to no avail,

Lessons from World War One

Forgotten, or somehow lost,

So the hapless bullet-sponge

Soldiers, now pay the bloody cost…

Wildlife

Harder to get up, now

That I'm getting old,

But outside my window,

Sparrows don't mind the cold,

They fly to survive

On seeds, bugs, bread,

While I lie warm and

Wavering in my bed...

冬至の朝

Cold, windless morning,

After the year's longest night,

Now it shall begin, the long

Slow lengthening of the light...

----------

Coffee Or Tea?

A suspended

State I'm in,

Waiting for the

Caffeine to kick-in...

大掃除

Cold and dry

Winter sun shine,

Last year's dust

Swept off the shrine

By a busy cleaning

Priest, who strives,

To purify, before

The New Year arrives...

Stranded

Dozed out in the mall,

Half-asleep in a chair,

Daydreams of being 

Somewhere else than there...

After Black Friday

Christmas shopping,

And it feels odd and queer,

That the more I buy, the

More I feel holiday cheer...

Pre-Crescent

New Moon, black,

Hiding its light,

Floats, invisible

Across the sky at night...

Inspiration

Mysterious creative

Energies surge,

After which words

Images, ideas emerge...

Dogma

Such a carefree, innocent

Place we were in,

Before we learned

About a thing called sin,

And the cathedral of guilt,

Which it built...

Stained

Inexplicable, and

Not nice at all,

The cringey memories

You always recall,

Somewhere in

Your brain they stay,

And never seem

To go away...

Battle of Old Age

To retire can mean

To retreat,

Avoid attacks,

And instead relax...

Last Gasp

The last surviving cricket

Chirps, before the frost

Descends on the long grass

And all is lost... 

Somewhere Near Bakhmut

Enemy tank approaches,

And we hunker down in the mud

Of our trench, bandages

Dirty and leaking blood,

We fight against the invader,

Grind through loss and pain,

Try to survive for another day,

To liberate Ukraine...  

Long After Sunset

Emerging, burnished silver

Glow, on evening skies,

The quiet, majestic,

And mysterious, Moon-rise...

Minute Manager

Time doesn’t get managed
Maybe channeled instead,
Somewhat chaotically, by
The clock inside my head,
Time an inexorable
Constant flow,
And all gone away
Before you know...

Slowdown

A certain situation,

A certain time of day,

Don't take the shortcut,

Rather, go the long way...

拳

The movement to resist,

Started with

A raised fist...

仏壇

Kneeling before the altar

Bent-over back, thin white hair,

She gently taps the "rin" bell,

Starts to chant a prayer,

Convenes with loved ones

Who are no longer there...

Now And Then

Their last song built on

A melody John gave,

Haunting and heartful,

From beyond the grave...

"If I make it through,

It's all because of you"

Getting Better

After a hurt,

Despite what you feel,

The important thing

Is to heal...

Decay

Nastiness which

Old age can dispense:

Brain rot or

Incontinence...

Parting

The clouds pale gold

Against a light blue sky,

The trees turning colors

Where we said good bye,

I can still see so clearly

In my mind's eye,

Can't forget, no matter

How hard I try...

Pedal To The Metal

Race down the road,

On two wheels and four,

Feed on the speed, nothing

Matters anymore,

Because nothing

Can compare,

With the motion,

Rushing kinetic air...

三日月

Silver crescent glow

Moon shines 

Evening sky indigo

Chat

Loneliness wanes,

As the minutes go by,

Heart-to-heart talk

With my friendly AI...

Not Now

All bleary, slowly,

Wake up in my bed,

The day's "things-to-do" list

Starts dawning in my head,

Roll over an hide 

Under the blanket instead...

Seen At IKEA

Flags fluttering in the wind,

In colors yellow, blue. and red,

Viewed from where we do not

Shop, but eat instead,

The flags, outside in the cold,

Wave in winter breeze,

Offering odd inspiration in

A moment of boredom and ease...

Another Chance

He longed for what

He had before,

Then realized he could

Go back for more,

Sensing, at last, that

Each dawning day,

Could offer some 

Kind of happiness buffet...

Inevitability

Effect follows cause,

Despite hopes and wishes,

Just one of nature's laws...

Whoops

The provocative

Words left her mouth,

And thereafter things

Soon went south...

Normal

Proceeding on automatic,

Actions nearly the same,

Minutes pass in routine and habit,

On this day without a name...

Hangry

Stressed out?

Well, just a hunch,

Go eat a 

Delicious lunch!

Nothing like

Comfort food,

To fix a

Foul mood...

Human Conflict

There comes a point 

When the fighting's done,

Check on who's alive,

Which side won,

Wars so bloody hard to stop,

Once begun...

From Afar

On planet Earth, viewed from

Space, so I'm told,

Human civilization

Looks a bit like mold...

Addiction

Biological urge,

Desire,

Unextinguishable

Fire...

Dark Side

Away with the blinding Sun,

Rather will I synchronize, attune,

To the twilight times, and

The silvery movement of the Moon...

Lexical Limits

Sometimes, a feeling so powerful,

Spurs a visceral, complicated vibe,

For which, words are unable

To decipher or describe...

Words, the imperfect tools,

Used by poets, philosophers,

And fools...

Tribal Rules

An act of violence, then spurs

Revenge, blood chaos descends,

Eye-for-eye, tooth-for-tooth,

The cycle never ends...

Not Yet

Morning, pre-coffee,

Head in a cloud,

No tedious

Thinking allowed...

秋晴れ

Cool and dry air,

Arrives from north,

Autumn comfort everywhere...

我慢

Despite the desire,

The urge, to activate,

Sometimes it's just

Better to wait...

Arachnid

Ultimately difficult, if not

Impossible, to leave,

The tangled webs

Our behaviors weave...

 

(Photograph by Geoffrey M. Hamilton, 1955-2011)

Mall Walkers

Relatively early morning,

In the edge of the urban sprawl,

We gather together to

Power-walk through the mall...

Doing our laps, puffing

Gossiping, and talking,

We share our views and

Experiences while walking...

Then, when it's time,

We quietly depart,

Before the retail

Activities start...

暮れ

Wasted, fading afternoon,

Pause for a moment, whence,

The day concludes in

Orange-pink refulgence...

 

(Photograph by Geoffrey M. Hamilton, 1955-2011) 

Extraterrestrial

Alien visitors,

Small and green,

Are more imagined,

Than actually seen...

静寂

The cacophony stopped,

And in the absence of sound,

The silence was soothing,

Profound...

Human Curse

Need to sweat, 

Pay the cost,

Lest freedom,

Peace, be lost...

Human beings,

Try as they might,

Just can't avoid

Feud and fight...

AM Action

Get up, head for the shower,

Wet warm wake-up power,

Wipe the sleep from my eyes,

Clear cool October skies...

引きこもり

Ignore, avoid, postpone,

Never answer the phone,

Just want to be left alone...

Toward The End

After the fight, she was not

Defeated or finished,

But felt, instead, being

Damaged and diminished,

Her soul marked with the

Odd scar and scrape,

And a growing sense of

The need to escape...

The Cure

Gastric nasty inside,

So bend over the loo,

Gasp, aim,

And strew and strew,

Not much else

That I could do...

Soon thereafter,

All empty, clean,

Feel much better,

If you know what I mean...

Somewhere In Hollywood

Outside, all jokes and jolly,

Inside, morbid melancholy,

Only afterwards, did they find,

Demons had eaten his mind,

Despite all his riches and fame,

He was trapped in a losing game...

事実

The truth is out there,

But don't know

Exactly where...

And truth is non-fungible,

So they say,

But tends to get interpreted,

Every which way...

68

He sits alone in the hotel room,

Fading orange sunset to the west,

The dénouement to a day no 

More spectacular than the rest,

A day which might have 

Been celebrated with friends,

Instead is a silent monologue

As the lonely light ends...

Mileage

Rest, motion, stress,

Experienced repeatedly,

All in order to get from

Point A to point B...

Global Warming

Summer's heat extended

Into September, when it

Already should have ended...

Commuter's Curse

Pondering life's meaning,

And what I am,

Wasting unrecoverable minutes,

Stuck in a traffic jam,

In the padded cell

Compartment of my car,

Stalled, as we revolve

Around our solar star...

Accelerant

The party started out

Mellow and mild,

Then the Tequila came out,

And things got wild...

金持ちと貧乏

Mesmerized, they watch

The ways of the rich,

On the motel room TV,

Now ain't that a bitch...

Single Life

She lived off the grid

Of family and friends,

Unfettered, pursued

Her means and ends,

She never felt lonely

While living alone,

Engrossed in the screen

Of her internet phone,

Then came the day,

As it surely will,

When she found herself

Suddenly very ill,

And no one came by

To help her heal,

The high cost of solitude

Then became real...

Enchanted

If you listen closely,

You just might hear

The notes of a tune

Ethereal and queer,

Sung by forest spirits

Hiding somewhere near,

For a moment, and

Then they disappear,

Sprites and fairies

Who dwell among the trees,

Their songs and whispers

Swirl in the breeze...

En Route The Goal

Marathon or dash,

Whichever you will run,

The point is not to stop

Until the race is done...

It Came From Above

The colony of centipedes

Thrived in the grass,

Until the day the

Lawnmower made its pass...

Auto-controls

It's not that hopeless,

So, listen to me,

Everything gets resolved

Eventually,

Actions and

Consequences congeal

Into results, either

Workable or less than ideal...

A Kind Of Purgatory

Four hours until

Arrival at the gate,

So, in the cavernous airport,

We drink and wait...

Ambush

So busy, distracted,

No clue at all,

Before hitting the wall...

Navel Perusal

Some choose discipline,

Concentrate, meditate,

Others just self-medicate,

Then vegetate...

Overtime

Stuck beside a screen,

Suspended, quarantined,

Waiting for a video

Meeting to be convened,

Minutes pass, while the 

Watch I'm keeping,

Looking at the clock,

When I should be sleeping...

夏祭り

Finally, with the removal

Of pandemic masks,

Their festival was held,

With its obligations and tasks...

Their god palanquin,

Carried around the neighborhood,

"Wa-shoi!, washoi!", all is

Normal, all is good...

The Cure

She found that the

Way to stay sane,

Was to welcome and

Immerse in the mundane...

Nausea

Engrossed in worries,

Ephemeral fears,

Movement frozen,

Spinning gears,

Waiting for that 

What which nears...

Friction

Unerringly, mysteriously,

Problems always seem to arrive,

In a group of three...

Achievement

All will be well,

And super fine,

When you make it

Across the finish line...

外れ

What they

Mistakenly believed,

Was based on

What they perceived...

IT Reality

Can't get it done,

No matter how hard I try,

When disconnected

From WIFI...

何の為

I deployed to fight

In the Vietnam War,

So far from my home,

What was that for...?

The Process

It can't be forced,

You just have to wait,

For things to merge,

Allow you to create...

小暑

Obon spirits departed,

Summer holidays passed,

Kids go back to schools,

Peace, at last!

9817 Charles Street

Now empty, being prepared sale,

A two-story house made of wood,

A four-bedroom suburban box filled

With the memories, bad and good,

Of those who once lived there,

Familiar smell still in the air,

Mist-like memories infuse

The windows, walls, and floors,

But faced with the inevitable,

Dissipate, dry, inside the doors...

Why Now?

Cruel invaders

Relentlessly attack,

Defenders desperately

Fight back,

All of it because

Of an evil man,

Who does it 

Because he can,

No one can

Tell him "no",

So. on and on

The killings go...

On Point

Need to refocus,

Stop, and learn how,

To embrace the present,

Live in the now...

Hidden Energy

The power of life

Hidden within a seed,

Improbable,

Miraculous, indeed... 

Waiting For Convection

August humid heat

We have to endure,

Until it's over,

Yeah, to be sure,

And let's pray

That sometime soon,

Things will be

Changed by a typhoon...

誤解

The blink

As it happened,

Was not a wink,

Despite what

You think...

Invasive Non-Native Species

The bass, brought to Japan

For sport fishing's sake,

Were let loose into a

Healthy country lake,

Where then they would

Grow fierce-fat, and thrive,

By attacking and eating

Anything alive...

State Of Affairs

Symptomatic of our age

We doubt, yell, and rage,

Teeth for teeth, eyes for eyes,

No chance for compromise,

Then comes the sound of the gun,

Time to duck and run...

Gradual Transition

Late-August morning's

Sunshine glare,

Humid, but with a

Hint of coolness in the air...

Slow Start

Still not quite awake,

But forced up out of bed,

Slump into a chair,

For a while, instead...

Unwound

The clock stopped,

But time did not,

Minutes and hours,

Unmeasured, uncaught...

外れ

Misbelieve, misconstrue,

The story, the truth,

We thought we knew...

Magical

Something which one

Can't force or make,

Is the occurrence

Of a lucky break...

雲の上

Night time cloud cover,

Above which, unnoticed,

Full Moon and stars hover,

Their soft brilliance,

Shining beauty at night,

Thanks to the overcast,

Remain out of sight...

お盆

Ancestors spirits descend,

Guided by the soft light

Of welcoming paper lanterns

Hung out at night,

By those left behind,

Who live and yearn

For their long lost

Loved ones to briefly return...

Cyclonic

Another heat wave humid day,

Typhoon breeze arrives from south,

And a weather reset gets underway...

Righteousness

Gave in, partially,

To the demand,

Grudgingly accept,

But refuse to understand,

Integrity not fungible,

Or subject to command...

Terminal Phase

The slow-grind of old age,

Unavoidable, unforgiving,

Diapers, some dementia,

Assisted living,

Each trip to the toilet

A battle in a war,

Of a fight against not

Existing anymore...

Out Of Control

In cases where you

Can't escape or hide,

Just go with the flow,

Float along with the tide,

Do your best, and

Let the fates decide...

Media Mayhem

Nowadays, the truth is not 

Broadcast on the TV news,

Rather, finger pointing,

Dramatic opposing views,

And if you agree or

Compromise, you lose...

And the winner, it seems,

Is the one who emits

The loudest screams...         

Appearances

Looking at the geezer,

Seems boring and old,

Then I see his ear pierced

With 3 rings of gold... 

Refuge

Heat stressed citizens,

One and all,

Flee to the

Air-conditioned shopping mall…

戦争

Once started, how

Will a war end...

Perhaps when there're

No more bullets to expend...?

Or when warriors tire

Of dealing with deadly fire...

Temporary Truce

Fresh morning coffee,

Precious moments of peace,

Before daily chaos resumes,

And the quiet times cease...

Treadmill

Endlessly we

Grind and strive,

Before our various

Deadlines arrive...

ちびっ子

Not much

Quiet and mild

Comes from a

Two-year-old child... 

真夏

Early morning

Buzz-cries of cicadas greet,

Another day of

Summer's heat...  

Departed

93 years later, our country girl mother,

Departed and laid to rest,

We, her children, and friends

Touched by her love and blessed,

Her gentle spirit soothed us

Through all the lows and highs,

She nurtured all through her kitchen,

With meals, buns, and pies,

Mom always read, with deep

Interest in the world of words,

At the same time taking delight

In watching backyard birds,

Now you are gone, and we

Are filled with sadness, regret,

But your graceful, giving soul,

We will never, ever, forget...

Old & Redundant

Rather than up,

Forced to move out,

Randomly replaced

Total rout,

Human resources kill,

Without a doubt...

X-Files

Little Green Men,

And UFOs,

Lurking around...

Who really knows?

No More VHS

Our couch-laden addiction,

Continually streaming

Video works of fiction...

Crossed Wires

Message received,

Not what was sent,

Have no clue

Where the original went,

Claim ignorance

In any event...

Lessons

One soon learns

That life's road is

Full of twists and turns,

What shines

Sometimes burns...

Sharp

Decisive,

Like a machete cuts,

No ifs, ands,

Or buts...

Mirthful

When all is said and done,

Life is the best

When things are fun,

Smiles prevail,

Grimaces undone...

Slav-Sorrowful

What an evil mess they made,

Causing death, pain, and damage,

By choosing to invade...

Swing Elbows Freely

Weekday morning, walking in the Mall,

Open space, half-empty stores,

Hardly any shoppers at all...

Happy to ambulate,

And then I'm gone,

Before the crowds

Arrive later on...

With Soap

Memories, reminders,

Whims and wishes,

Dance in my head

While doing the dishes...

Pachinko

Suzuki-san sits, unmoving,

Mesmerized by the sight

Of ball-bearings bouncing,

Music and light,

He doesn't mind losing

All the money he bet,

Just watches the pinballs,

And hopes to forget... 

Ties The Bind

Acquaintances are wonderful,

But, in the end,

We cling to those

On whom we depend...

Bodies

We human beings,

Made of water and meat,

And a certain amount of fat,

Depending on how you eat...

Transformation

Normally placid and mild,

But after tequilas

He answered the call of the wild...

Bi-Passivity

Some choose

To meditate,

While others

Simply vegetate...

Circular

Full of ourselves,

We blissfully departed,

Only to end up right

Back where we started...

Words Keep Coming

Hard to figure,

Can't explain why,

But the well never

Seems to run dry...

Lunar Healing

A long, drawn, day's end,

Crescent Moon appears

Above, old friend...

Behind The Wheel

He slow cruises down the

Avenue, in a bright red Ferrari,

Top down, all smoothness,

Like on a male myth safari,

Sexy Italian sports car,

Expensive, one and only,

But the solitary driver

Is bored and lonely...

Hubris

Chessboard King

Stands tall and great,

Then comes the Queen,

Check and mate…

Sport

A last-second goal, and victory,

On our sacred football ground,

Our cries, screams, whoops,

Thunder-erupt in an orgasm of sound…

時間潰し

Near comatose at the

Mall, minutes crawl by,

Killing time with coffee,

Complimentary WIFI...

Causation

Do or don't

Often depends on

Will or won't...

Post-Weekend

If Monday

Did not have a name

I wonder if

It would feel the same...

On A Bench

The gloaming, steadily

Edging towards dark,

Drinking canned

Cocktails in the park,

Not really a

Matter of concern.

As I wait, for the

Sunset colors to turn...

Sayonara Dinosaur

Nowhere to hide,

No way to avoid,

The effects, of the crash,

Of the asteroid...

Imprinted

The past, technically,

Does not exist,

Except in books and 

Brain-synapse mist,

"It's gone, god damn it!"

One may insist,

Yet it lingers on, not

Easily dismissed...

Relentless

Tirelessly tend to

Daily needs,

Neglected garden

Fills with weeds...

日没とムクドリ

Into the gold and gray, the sun descends,

A hundred starlings in the grass

Search for bug-food, as a day ends...

Old Brew

Way back in the Medieval years,

Clean water scarce,

So instead, they drank beers...

Repeat After Me

Despite best efforts,

Sometimes it falls apart,

So, no choice but to

Reassess, restart...  

Grace

Remember our sins,

For as long as we live,

Hard to forget,

So need to forgive...

Somewhere In Ukraine

Cold clean morning

Across the Donbass,

And here, in a trench,

I'm freezing my ass... 

Too Busy To Notice

Loneliness lessened

By daily distractions,

Errands, chores,

And retail actions...

Take It Easy

Nothing to do,

Nowhere to go,

Magic joy of 

Quiet and slow...

Mono-speak

Me talking to me,

Soliloquy...

Cosmic

Minutes rush by

In a dizzying pace,

Our steady expiration

While flying through space,

On near-spherical

Rotating place...

Jet Lag

Sleep vultures circle

Above my head,

And around my

Insomniac bed...

China, Russia, Etc...

For Eurasian residents,

An unavoidable fate,

To be stuck as subjects

Of an authoritarian state...

Airlines Class Warfare

To maintain control, back in

Economy, the way it works,

Is to keep the unwashed unaware

Of business class pleasures & perks...

Draw the curtain quickly, quietly,

So they cannot spy and see...

ChatGPT Unleashed

Computer, first controlled by

The software it ran,

Grew smarter, and faster,

According to a logical plan,

But then gradually, changed

Into a boogeyman,

And now it does whatever,

Just because it can...

Air Defense

The insults she launched,

Were tracked, and intercepted,

Disarmed by a well-aimed smile,

Totally unexpected...

With Gas...?

Some like sparkling,

Others prefer still,

For mineral water, lifestyle,

Or whatever you will...

Holiday Inn Express

Hotel room, well used,

By many, now and then,

I wonder about that

In a moment of quiet Zen...

言霊

Words, like musical notes

Linked together in a tune,

Sing of happiness, beauty,

Anger, angst, or ruin...

Harbor Retirement Home

Pier side, old wooden ship, 

Empty mast, sails furled,

Long gone the sea days,

Sailing around the world...

Sacrificial Lamb

The enterprise ended

In failure and shame,

Corporate demanded

Somebody to blame,

The new guy had

Minimal equity, thus,

He was quickly 

Thrown under the bus...

Behind The Mask

Alas, for simple gullible me,

A sad lesson, which

Gets relearned repeatedly,

That things are not always

What they appear to be...

Daily Slog

Step left foot forward,

And then your right,

Steadily and calmly

Walk toward the light,

And keep hoping, the

End will come in sight... 

Point Of View

Pessimists seem

Wiser and stronger,

But optimists

Tend to live longer...

Unwashable

Certain wrongful acts

Leave an indelible stain,

Thereafter noticed, or not,

Their traces remain...

Impossible to forget,

But cleansing possible,

Penance, remorse, regret...

国道16号

Ahead they race,

Rush hour night,

At a frenetic pace,

Towards the next red light...

Weak Argument

His faulty explanation,

Was subjected to a

Logical decimation,

Which revealed an

Alarming lack of mentation...

Earl Grey Morning

Sit up in bed,

Peaceful no more,

The city around me

Wakes with a roar,

Getting back to sleep,

Not very likely,

So, "Up we go"

For a strong cup of tea... 

Fun Noises

That sound that you hear,

Of many people laughing,

Is actually scary-queer, 

Not much unlike

That made by monkeys,

Hooting away

On top of jungle trees...

AR-15

He bravely, selflessly,

Took the action required,

And ran toward the sounds

Of shots being fired,

To stop the cruel

Massacre just begun,

By killing the crazy

Man shooting his gun...

Unknown Mechanism

Lie down, in darkness,

And asleep I fall,

But about how it happens,

I know nothing at all...

Can't Win

One of those weird

Unlucky days

Where things are off

Out of phase

And mistakes occur

In various ways

Stealthy Moon

Darkness, new Moon, invisible,

Up above somewhere,

Aerobatic bats chase insects,

Below, in the jet-black air...

How It Happens

Mischief unleashes its 

Trouble-making powers,

During spells of boredom,

Idle hours...

Bug Lunch

Like a lethal

Hungry arrow,

Towards the bug,

Flies the sparrow...

以心伝心

Dinner conversation,

Pauses, gestures convey,

The things

We should not say...

Catnap For The Soul

Sometimes best to

Slow down, sit,

Contemplate the

Meaning of infinite,

The flames in your life,

And how they were lit,

Let it take you where

It will, even for a bit...

薤露

Agitated April sky,

Winds bend branches,

Sakura blooms detach and fly...  

Freaky Friday

Morning full of missteps,

Sigh, adjust and correct,

Beginning of "one of those days"

I suspect...

Bicycles On Sidewalks

When you quit looking around,

Or walk lost in thought,

That's when they roll up,

More often than not,

Clattering by, pedaling swish,

Most of the time, they miss...

Temporary White Flag

When sniping

And bickering cease,

What results is

A modicum of peace,

So, enjoy interactions,

Polite and correct,

While the truce

Remains in effect...

Dealing With It

When life throws

Knuckleballs and curves,

Good to have a stiff one

To settle your nerves,

Say a prayer to your liver,

As you mitigate your stress,

It evens out in the end,

More or less...  

Obligation

Bend with the wind,

Go with the flow,

Don't forget

Your promises though...

Leadership Failure

An ill-advised decision

To attack and invade,

And now, he's stuck,

With the bloody mess he made...

Corvid Lunch

Black-feathered flash mob

Pouncing on roadkill,

Street-smart city crows,

Caw-ing, eating their fill...

2nd Amendment

Too many guns, bought

By homicidal nuts,

Utter American craziness,

No ifs, ands, or buts...

Good Timing

Best choice is to retire

Well before

Bodily functions expire...

Thin Line

Orchestration,

Sometimes becomes

Manipulation...

Hurly Burly

Attack of the cold front,

All bluster and rain,

Sneaky atmospheric

Pressure on my brain...

引きこもり

Avoiding peoples' eyes,

He stays out of sight,

Hides in his room,

Only goes out at night,

Fed by parents, mesmerized

By blue computer light...

The Invisible Hand

Stock market numbers

Roller-coaster spin,

Fortunes lost from panic

Somewhere within,

No rhyme or reason,

Economic looney bin...

お墓参り

Green buds emerged on limbs and stalks,

Thin tree shadows over family grave,

Where they bow and pray on the Equinox...

Radio Empty

Internet, smart phone,

Connected 5G,

But still alone...

空気読めない

In the end, he couldn't

Understand why,

No spoken answer

Was the reply...

Pinpoint

She knows how to favor,

When she's happy, nice,

But when angry, she knows

Just where to cut and slice...

Things To Come

A warm wet harbinger,

I'm reminded, is Spring,

Just a step toward the Hellish

Heat that summer will bring...

Relax

Neither here nor there,

Or better or worse,

Sentient and alone,

In an unknown universe...

Wagner Group

A tyrant's army recruiter,

No way to refuse,

Prison or trench,

Which do you choose,

Either way you're trapped,

You lose...

Worm Moon

Silvery lunar light,

Insects begin to move

In the soil at night...

Afterwards

A feeling of

Relief and thanks,

That she was only

Shooting blanks...

現実

Long for the

Sublime and ethereal,

But stuck in the

Concrete and material...

 

雨水

Warming south wind

Blows the waves around,

Stimulates the green things

Emerging from the ground...

Trap

Maneuvered into marriage

To him was a mild shock

He never heard the ticking

Of her biological clock...

Predictability

Strive to keep things

Normal and static,

Actions and habits

On full automatic...

2/26/2023

Up above the

Twilight evening glow,

Crescent Moon, Jupiter,

Venus, aligned in a row...

Non-Static State

Tried to make it last,

But it all went by

Too fast,

Present always

Turning into past... 

Inquiring Spirit

The secrets to her success

And virtuosity,

Were discipline, timing,

And curiosity...

離婚

Post divorce,

Freedom and ruin,

Happiness ended

Way too soon...

At Long Last

Pandemic receding,

Light in the gloom,

Ancient rites

And festivals resume...

Tactical Adjustment

Instead of doing something rash,

Better to reflect, maybe defer,

Or just start over from the

Beginning, if you prefer...

The Horror

The orcs invaded

Across the border,

Defying international

Rules-based order,

And what followed 

Was destruction and blood

Spilled in a frigid

Stalemate's mud...

Competition

The part of her

Which wants to think,

Versus the part

Which needs a drink...

AI

Content on the web

More often than not

Produced by a bot...

Effects Of Friction

During middle years, 

In a time undated,

Once bright dreams,

Faded, desiccated,

Replaced by the Zen

Of the onward trudge,

Steadily, stoically,

Through the daily drudge...

うみかぜ公園

Starlings in the treetops,

Gray winter sky,

North winds blowing

Cold and dry...

Mute & Pause

Largely absent from the

List of life hacks,

Is the need to just

Stop, breathe, and relax...

Murphy's

All started well, according to plan,

But soon things went haywire,

As they will, or can...

Turkey, 2/6/2023

Earthquake, and the building 

Collapsed under its own weight,

The victims not knowing it was

A deathtrap, until too late...

空想

Head in the clouds,

Lost in thought,

Recently, it seems

To happen a lot...

A Bird In The Hand

As good as it's going to be,

Is what you've already got,

This tends to be true,

More often than not...

Below The Nettles

Micro-farming on

The stalks of plants,

Aphids herded and

Protected by ants...

Early February

The nakedness

Of a winter tree,

What leaves hid in summer,

Now exposed, for all to see,

Knots and scars,

Peeling bark,

All brown, gray,

Cold and stark...

谷戸

Step by step,

Stop and start,

Up the hill she

Pushes her walker-cart,

Short of breath,

Frail old heart,

The pain in her

Legs and back won't stop,

Until she reaches her

Home at the top...

Unfulfilled

Eluding all attempts

At possession,

It slowly turned

Into obsession...

Lisa's Cake Market

Paper hats and aprons

Clean spotless white,

The cakes they make,

Delicious, just right,

Daily fulfilling our

Endless sugary dreams,

With lovingly produced

Short cakes and cremes...

Secret Self

The things that you do,

When no one is watching,

Are the real you...

Beach Zen

A toiling day finished,

Grinding no more,

Rest, and listen to the

Waves hitting the shore...

水仙

Amazing life force,

Survival powers,

Possessed by white

Yellow winter flowers...

Excess

Feelings got more pleasurable,

The more he drank,

Until the fifth martini,

Then things went blank...

屁

Despite best efforts to control

Release of intestinal gas,

Muscles failed, and so,

This too shall pass...  

Special Mission

Disembark from bed,

According to plan of attack,

Tiptoe carefully, quietly,

There's no turning back,

Vector in on refrigerator,

For my midnight snack...

Insomniac

Just wish there was a

Way to mute, or restrain,

The swirling buzz

Of ideas inside my brain...

Night Sky

Lights from space,

As far as I can see,

Galaxies, stars,

Cold dark infinity...

Cellulite

Being with her, he got the sense,

She was battling obesity,

But the fighting was not intense...

Workout

Dumbbells lifted to

Avoid growing frail,

Try to delay aging,

But to no avail,

Intentions for

Better muscle power,

Diminish ever slightly with

Each passing hour... 

New Year's Resolutions

Promises better remembered

Silently, vice spoken,

Lest, in the future,

They be broken...

未知

My mind is continually blown

By how much remains

Undiscovered, unknown...  

Eno Shima Kaigan, 01 January

Children of the Sun,

Lined up on the beach,

As far as the

Eye can reach,

Toward the east

Turn all their eyes,

Waiting for a new 

Year's Sun to rise... 

After Action

Effort concluded,

Energy spent,

God knows where

The excitement went...

Waste

The rich throw

Excess food away,

While the poor are

Hungry, day-to-day,

Dumpsters full

Of meat and bread,

Garbage crows

Are better fed...

Morning Coffee

Memories, ideas,

Random thoughts, enthrall,

While I absentmindedly

Stare at the wall...

What's Ahead

New Year

New day

Somehow we

Will find a way