限界村

Due to a lack of young people,

Able to practice and perform,

An ancient festival was abandoned,

Leaving us empty, forlorn,

Our village disappearing,

Slowly, no one left to mourn...

Undetected

As things changed, we

Remained blissfully unaware,

Unable to detect the

Changes, here and there,

Like a subtle shift in

The quality of the air...

Transition

Pause for a

Moment, reflect,

Wait for it to

Take effect...

Unhoused

I have no money, well

At least not a lot,

So, I live on what,

The things I've got,

Collected from random

Dumpsters, donations,

Hunger always there,

Inspiring hallucinations...

Lunar Bright

A bit overwhelmed, joyous 

Gasp, almost a swoon,

Upon my first glimpse

Of the Autumn super Moon...

Liberty

1980, Tsubaki House, Shinjuku,

Disco dancing, drinking,

Partying all the way through,

From darkness until

The early morning light,

Then ride the train back to

Work, all good, all right...

窮鼠猫を噛む

Well known ancient wisdom

That, a cornered rat,

Will turn around, and

Bite the cat...

9-9-6

Roll out of bed,

Feet gain traction,

Head for the sink,

Time for action,

Splash and wash

And rub and spray,

Prepare to attack

A brand new day...

Out Of Control

Current events

Around the world,

Bombs dropped,

Missiles hurled,

People displaced,

Elections lost,

Too chaotic

To count the cost,

Opinions spewed

By everyone

On social media,

Damage done...

Entomic Tunes

I miss the sounds of insects,

Gone to wherever they go,

Deep into autumn holes,

Away from frost and snow...

Things felt so alive

Hearing their summer cries,

Now it's all dead silence

Until they next arise...

日常生活

Some yearn for excitement,

Mystery, the arcane,

While I prefer to

Revel in the mundane...

Grandpa Duty

Lefthand shoulder of my shirt,

Some small off-white stains,

Made by a hungry grandchild,

Memory of warm hug remains...

November

Autumn, when we find

Extra things to wear,

While some trees grow

Colorful, then bare,

Swallows gone before

The coming winter air...

Avert

If a madman

Passes close by,

Never look him

In the eye...

うみかぜ公園

On the green grass of Ocean Breeze Park,

Urbanites barbecue small pieces of meat,

Crouched around burning smokey coals,

And, ready to swoop down for a treat,

Seahawks soar on the breeze from the bay,

Scanning for something to steal and eat...

Defeat

The result became apparent,

A stab-in-the heart of our mood,

And knowing there was nowhere

To run, things became unglued... 

事務所

Passive-aggressive office mate,

Type-A supervisor,

Folks she loves to hate,

But she needs the job,

Resigned to her fate...

無の瞬間

Mental gears quietly disengage,

Lean against the kitchen sink,

Vacant mindless moments pass,

Invisibly, I later think,

Returning to reality from

Some sort of brink...

我慢

She handled the stress 

Stoically,

Some would say

Heroically...

At First Sight

Assumptions made

At first glance,

Are sometimes correct,

By chance,

Or revealed,

After not too long,

To have been

Incredibly wrong...

Morning After

Peace and quiet, convening

With my succulent plants,

Dissolving a hangover with

Bottled water from France...

Relativity

Feels like an ending, this

Time and place I'm in,

Finish up, yes, but when

Did it all begin,,,?

G&T

Cucumbers, tonic water,

Hendrick's gin,

Prepare and combine,

Let the games begin...

Hemlock

Quite profound and witty

What Socrates said,

But it did not prevent

His fate to be dead...

Reaction

So shocked, she had to

Laugh, rather than cry,

Which somehow felt right,

Although she couldn't say why...