お寺

Actions and reactions,

To the chaos all around,

Minutes and hours 

Consumed without sound,

But time comes to a stop

In the Temple ground,

Its null absorbing

Life’s static and fears,

Quietly, for over

Five hundred years…

連休後

Awareness, high,

Motivation, low,

But still have to answer:

"Yes, or No"...

Life doesn't wait,

Time to go...

Post-Op

Heartbreaking, the sight of

Her curled-on hospital bed,

Dear granddaughter, and 

I wish it were me instead...

Malaise

Overwhelmed, I

Hesitate, freeze,

Mentally 

Knocked to my knees,

Bemused by the

Visceral fact,

Of my inability 

To act…

Sunday Morning Mall Musings

Bleary and blinking,

Clouds in my head,

Not really thinking,

Until the jolt from

The coffee I'm drinking...

It's the 20th Anniversary

Of the shopping mall,

So many random days spent

There, I don't remember at all...

Meanwhile, her mood

Is ugly and black,

Until she sees the

Half-price sales rack,

Unholster credit card

And attack, attack...

(Note: This is a revision of a poem I wrote on 2/19/2011)

茶道 Tea Ceremony Wisdom

The flavor of new green tea

Is flowery, somewhat sweet,

Then blended over time,

Tastes more complex, complete,

But later, when fully mature,

It embraces astringency, 

Becomes deliciously bitter,

And like the tea,

So are we...

(Note: This is a revision of a poem I wrote on 1/9/2011)

The Protector

I pause 

In the shade,

An urban tree

Has made…

The tree a solitary sentinel,

In the midst of the concrete,

Providing green cool

In the afternoon heat…

Alert Launch

Not sure what's ahead,

Hesitation and fear,

But hell, just go ahead,

And play it by ear...

主

Huge, blue-black crow,

Sits, stares, and squawks,

The Corvus king

Of the garbage box...

秘密

Deep inside,

Our secrets

Hide,

And unrevealed,

There, they abide...

Temporary Comfort

Deep steady breaths, in the

Blue glow computer's light,

At least, for this solitary

Moment, things feel all right...

成長

So sad, excruciating, for

The parents of a child,

Who, once was so cute,

Now going mad and wild,

The child, rebelling,

Perhaps too soon,

But desperate to break 

Out of the cocoon...

Nocturnal

Cold dark sidewalk,

Flickering streetlight,

Black cat hunting,

Quiet as the night,

Eyes glow yellow,

And it pads out of sight...

Expulsion

A bit of splatter, and

Some scattered stains,

After a big sneeze, which

Blew out his brains...

A sudden, reflexive,

Lethal-like sinus spray,

At least, at the time,

It felt that way...

誕生日

Tapping away on the keyboard,

Words capture what I feel,

While aware that what is

Fading is what is real,

A body's fails and fears,

Whispering after 71 years...

秋分の北風

Hot days, cool days,

Weather back and forth,

Bugs go quiet before

Cold winds from North,

Which, around the

Equinox, arrive,

Insecta do what 

They do, to survive…

誤解

They were attracted to, 

Enamored by, the Myth,

But misunderstood its

Nuance and pith,

And followed the

Deluded path therewith...

Suburban Subterranean

Dim light, lost track of

Where the time went,

Blade Runner ambience,

Gaming in the basement,

Distracted from what's above:

Orders, boredom, discontent...

Good Morning

Splash cold water on my face,

Coffee away the cobwebs,

Reconnect with time and place,

Internal system activates,

As a new day awaits...

Shelf Life

She slumped in her comfy

Chair, distracted and tired,

Dimly aware her warranty 

Was nearly expired…

Neolithic

Safe, in our cave,

Around the fire we sit,

Roasting the rodent

We will eat in a bit…

Outside our hole,

Bad, cold weather,

And we hug, hold,

Each other together…

Lycoris

Spider Lilies bloom,

Some red, some white,

Bell crickets sing, in a

Dying summer's night...

化け物

While we are asleep, in

The middle of the night,

House spirits play, until

The morning's light,

All of their activities,

Unnoticed, out of sight...

Gray Zone

Slow leak, through the seams,

Between reality, and misty

Memories, lucid dreams,

Will encolor an otherwise

Normal day’s schemes…

月見

The Sun’s golden light,

Reflected into silver

From the Moon tonight…