Office Work

Minutes tick by,

Deadline looms,

Burning brain cells

Computer consumes,

Stumble to the finish,

Running on fumes... 

Avian Communications

Spring tree, covered with

New green leaf sprouts,

And full of Starlings

All cackles and bird-shouts,

Up in the top branches,

Cacophony out-of-sight,

Starlings commune 

Before the onset of night...

Software

Old brain processing:

New data in,

Quickly forwarded

To recycle bin...

The Curse

Geopolitics explode, armies

Gear-up for another bout,

But why all the fighting...

Who let the dogs out? 

孤独公園

Alone, and staring into the

Phone's blue light,

On a park bench,

In the night...

Tweets

Heard, but unseen,

Songbirds exclaiming,

Somewhere in the green...

Economics

To attain and afford 

A middle-class life,

He has to work,

And so does his wife,

Compromise, sacrifice,

Skimp, save, and scheme,

Toiling on the treadmill

Of the American Dream...

Mid-Morning

That precious, transitory,

Event, in time and space,

Silence, when commuters

Are arrived and in place,

Movements and 

Motions cease,

And for a brief, fleeting

Moment, peace...

Mall Rat

Like an unguided rocket,

The toddler runs by me,

Screaming with excitement,

Three-year-old intensity.

Breathless freedom,

Full-up kinetic energy,

Until he tires, or collides

With something, inevitably…

Uplifting

They say the sky's the limit,

Among other things,

Soar up to success,

If you have wings...

Priority

First, digest,

Then deal

With the rest...

The Best Medicine

Stoicism, useful, but tends

Toward the melancholy,

So, protect, maintain, the

Ability to be jolly...

外人

An outsider, living inside,

Together with them, but held

Apart, no place to hide...

And it takes quite a

While to realize,

That it's not just because of

The color of my eyes...

Random Sunday Morning

On our way

Thankfully, again,

Into another day...

Another chance,

Another act in

Our mortal dance...

Somewhere in Seoul

Japanese and Koreans, meeting for business,

And facing each other across a social wall,

But a need to proceed, and quest for profits,

Overcame caution, inhibition, after all,

So, barriers fall, and a temporary comradery,

Achieved through the magic of alcohol...

Each side drinking,

Bomber shots of soju

Without much extra thinking...

A Cure

When things pile-up into

A daily, mundane, mess,

It can all add-up into

A caustic case of stress,

So, take a few slow deep

Breaths, and decompress...

Slavic Justice

The autocrat orders his

Soldiers to begin a war,

Doesn't matter that

Things were OK before,

Except for a disagreement,

Not much more...

The autocrat, now trapped,

In an evil-toxic web, spun,

Based on his decisions,

Into a fight which can't be won,

And it all will slowly, surely

Justly, come undone...

食いしん坊

Each new day we meet

With relief -- knowing that

It's Death we've managed to cheat,

Yet again, while continuing

A diet of fried red meat,

Plus, a host of other tasty

Treats, we will not retreat,

Into that sad healthy diet desert,

As long as our hearts beat...

Commuter

Ugly morning, up and out,

Early start, quarter-to-five,

Cold wind, rain in my face,

But I feel alive...

雨の月曜日

I want to stay in bed,

But have to get up

And go out instead...

Try as I might

Can't seem to avoid

The rat race fight...

Spiritual pain,

With umbrella,

Out in the rain...

無差別乱射

Wrong place at wrong time,

And on the floor we lie,

Hiding behind theater seats

As the terror bullets fly,

And if by chance we survive

We'll always wonder "Why?"

AI

Here we are, mopping the floor

Of the office, where, we worked before,

Our previous jobs, by the bye,

Taken by robots and AI,

But at least we're still employed,

Until they make a janitor humanoid...

Digital slaves, the ultimate tools,

Serve, then subvert, their maker-fools...

Shogun

During the civil war years,

Samurais' rule

Was strict, unforgiving,

Often cruel,

So, learn when to bow,

Where not to tread,

And stay clear from the

Risk of losing your head...

Missing In Action

His search for extraterrestrials

Suddenly came undone,

An unexpected encounter

When things had hardly begun,

Absconded by curious aliens

In Area Fifty one...

Preemergence

Frigid winds from the

North, swirl outside,

Protected in their buds,

Cherry blossoms hide,

Until the warmer air

Arrives, they will abide...

Prepper

Preparing for Armageddon,

And resultant dystopian state,

Stock up on bullets and 

Beans, before it's too late,

Tune in to the conspiracy

Stories, squirm, and wait...

Election Year

Despite politicians' claims

To be your friend,

And the virtuous promises

They make and send,

It's all about their

Gaining power, in the end...

They provide you with

Attention and cooperation,

Commensurate with the size of

Your monetary donation...

Rest

Try not to think,

Slowly, into

Slumber, sink...

Switch

She finally decided to

Turn off the sound...

The silence which followed

Was eerie, profound... 

Chill

Morning came again

New ahead, open-ended,

And between doing little,

And nothing, I'm suspended,

Joyfully quietly gloating

In my minutes of floating...

Prophet

The snake charmer,

Ancient-looking-queer,

Said to put away 

All future fear,

Take care and comfort

In the now and here...

Bird Break

Starling gang, lined-up on a branch,

Each perch taken,

Of a bare winter tree

About to reawaken...

蛙

The frog jumping into

A pond, never knew,

It would be immortalized

In a Japanese haiku...

Follow Orders

Marriage is supposed to be

Take and give,

But her mode still

Tends to be declarative...

29th

Calendar's quadrennial

Promise, need to keep,

So, on the last day of

February, we leap...

Break Time

Deposit needless worries

In the Bullshit File,

Have a cup of coffee,

Reflect, and smile,

For the first time

In quite a long while...

Old Greek Story

Shadows dance, on the

Wall of Plato's cave,

Where chained, we embraced

The meanings they gave,

Our cave, all dark, where

We watch and hide,

The shadows merely hint

Of what's real outside...

Get Out The Vote

So much at stake,

So much to fear,

Or so they say,

In an election year...

Domesticated

Pigs and cows had no idea,

When first herded, beaten,

Then generously fed,

That they would be eaten...

あおり運転

Go, go, go,

Step on the gas,

Can't go slow...

There's places

I need to be,

Get out of the way!

You, in front of me...

Ghost Goddess

Enthralled by photos of an

Actress, long gone by now,

It's as if her beauty has

Overcome death somehow,

Preserved by a magic

That old images allow...

Windward

When cold north winds

Decide to attack,

Better to have them

Blow on my back,

As on a wellness 

Walk I slowly pace,

Try to keep them

Off my face...

Meat Puppets

Humans are driven,

Lethal and diverse,

Dancing with chaos,

For better or worse,

Enslaved by base urges,

It is our curse...

Tactical Retreat

Her decision to

Demur, and evade,

Averted a mess 

Before it was made...

Alive

Roadside tree, bare

Branches, cut and pruned

Has an aspect of being

Beaten and ruined,

Yet, that's misleading

As green begins to surge,

Forces of life inside,

And buds will emerge... 

February

Clouds and raindrops

Dance in the winter air,

Outside the window

At which I stare,

Winds whistle, rustle

A gray green mood,

On this cold numb 

Morning of solitude... 

Somewhere In Donbass

The invaders conquered the ruined town,

At tremendous mortal cost,

So be it their victorious battle,

In a war that is already, likely, lost...

Post Nightmare

Suddenly wake,

With an inward scream,

Angry and shaking,

From a nasty dream...

Price Of Mobility

Inexorable? -- Alas,

Global warming from

Automobile gas...

Super Bowl

Furiously, fantastically,

We fight to move a ball,

Across the flat green carpet,

Run, jump, collide and fall,

Fight towards an imaginary

Line, we give it our all...

Curved Celestial Blade

New Moon, waxing

Sharp and thin,

Scythe amidst

The starry spin...

うみかぜ公園物語

Now it's getting dark,

Skateboarders still

Playing in the park,

Yelling, jumping,

Having fun,

Immune to the

Day being done...

Little Killers

Park bench, approached by a gang of

Hungry sparrows, fifteen in all,

Keenly eyeing me for food, just

Glad I'm big and they are small,

Otherwise, I would be fair game,

According to mini-raptor protocol...

孤独高齢者

New morning, has a

Solitary, familiar feel,

Still alive, still hungry,

I prepare another meal,

Eat, then back to bed,

Hoping sleep will heal,

Escape into the bliss

That dreams will reveal...

Short Term

Going back

To check on the door,

Which I think I locked,

Just a short time before...

The Gloaming

A day's fading light,

Thereafter they emerge,

The creatures of the night...

   

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

水仙

Each like a green spear,

Thrust up through winter dirt,

The Daffodils appear...

  

Road Rage

Normally a pleasant chap,

But once he starts to drive,

A nasty speed demon

Inside him comes alive,

Transformed into a

Troll behind the wheel,

And he's oblivious to it all,

Inside his evil automobile...

The Long Wait

The alien hailing system,

Pointed from Earth up to the sky,

Launched its message into space,

And now we wait, for a reply,

For there must be someone out there,

The answer will come, by and by...

Ambient Music

Notes from a certain melody,

Vibrate, float through space,

Their harmonies carry

My soul to a better place...

Covid-19

How surreal, those days

Lost in isolation, fear,

Empty streets, disinfect

Lest the virus be near,

Ethanol, masks, endure,

It will eventually disappear,

We hoped, and so it did,

But the origin remains unclear...

Middle East

Tribal hatreds,

Strong and pure,

Passed down to

Children, and endure,

A disease

Without a cure...

Dreamland

Be content with

The moment you're in,

It's as good now

As it's ever been,

Pull the blanket

Up to your chin...

Cartesian

I am, because

I think,

Record my 

thoughts with ink,

Forget what not

In drink...

Unpredicted

Haphazardly,

Almost randomly,

Is how it started,

World War 3...

Hidden Effects

Mind on mute,

Doing daily chores,

A kind of Zen, neither

Depresses nor bores,

Something else

It accomplishes,

More than just cleaner

Floors and dishes...  

Precursor

Late-January wind

Cold-dries and clears,

Preparing for the night

The Full Moon appears...

Wordless

A meaning of life,

I sense, understand,

When holding my

Grandchild's hand...

Not Yet

Cold morning, under

Blanket warm and snug,

A comforting friend,

The pillow I hug...

Celestial Light Show

Crisp, clear, cold sky,

Full of glorious glittering stars,

Which shine down on the

Homeless, asleep in their cars...

Ishikawa Gym

Half-asleep on carboard bed,

At least I'm still alive,

Killer earthquakes come and go,

But, somehow, we survive...

January 2024

New Year visit to the shrine

Purify, then offer a prayer,

Under the leafless god-trees,

Incense smoke, dry winter air...

The Selma

Winter sunshine

Warms my corner nook,

Where I sit among succulents,

With coffee and book...

Paused

Lately, more often

Than not,

Stare at nothing,

Lost in thought...

地震

With little, or no, warning at all,

The earth bends and shakes,

Then things start to fall