Pre-Equinox

He welcomes the continued winter

Cold, hopes it will not leave,

So much better than the coming

Hot summer, a cool reprieve,

He silently supports the

Season's rearguard fight,

Against the inevitable humid

Heat, the cruel Solar light...

Recollection

Alone, gazing up at

The morning-after sky,

Moving steadily,

She stifles a sigh,

While hanging her

Laundry out to dry...

Bombs Away

Ominous dawn, different

From the day before,

For then was peace,

And now it's war...

宅急便

Suspended, waiting for

The doorbell to ring,

And that which the 

Deliverer will bring,

Must not move,

Cannot leave,

Stuck in place

Until I receive...

あっという間

Right now, what is,

Became what was,

Time slips away,

It really does...

物の哀れ

The old ones learned to understand,

That impermanence is permanent,

From the colors of the land,

From the shifts in the air,

As seasons changed, they

Came to realize, and be aware...

SOTU

Boast, proclaim, admonish, berate,

For the longest time on record,

To explain the Union's state...

天皇の誕生日

Emperor's birthday, holiday,

And parents, with legions of

Kids, drive, shop, and play...

Into the suburban mall

They enter, pour, like

It's everything and all...

Food Wars (Revision 1)

In the endless battles over dietary sin,

It's usually the tastebuds that win,

The arguments brain and conscience make,

Fall flat in the face of chocolate cake...

(* Originally published 9/27/2010)

Defiance In Yellow (Revision 1)

Tall, shimmering Ginko tree,

Gloriously golden, for

All who pass by to see,

Its leaves, like pieces of the sun,

Fall, lay, in a cold yellow

Farewell, as autumn is undone...

(* Originally published 11/22/2010)

片道

Only after launch, toward

Mars, did we learn,

That there would be

No way to return...

News Talk Shows

Televised News, less to

Inform, more to entertain,

Or preach, resulting in

Angst, and spiritual pain,

Therefore, to stay sane,

And as a last resort,

Limit your viewing 

To the weather report...

It's Complicated

To make something

Great again,

Assumes it was

That way back then,

Which may or may

Not be true,

Depending on 

Your point of view... 

Chemistry

How a fart

Will resonate,

Depends on

What you ate…

曇り空

Cool, overcast, gray,

But still beautiful

In a gloomy way...

禊

Clear holy mountain stream,

Cerulean winter sky,

White-clad Pilgrims

Bathe in the water to purify…

人生

Fall in love, unite,

Then procreate,

Grind through

Family raising state,

Emerge on far end,

Old life mate...

Survivors

After the comet hit,

All the dead reptiles,

Safe in their holes,

Mammalian smiles...

Slumber

Down into sleep,

I gently fall,

Drift away through

Nothing at all,

Concerns and

Worries disinvest,

Slowly, quietly,

Heal and rest…

立春

Old Japanese calendar,

Feels a bit queer,

When first day of Spring 

Is the coldest of the year…

Blade Runner

Replicants, almost human,

Exquisite robots, ill-fated,

Condemned to be hunted,

Identified and eliminated…

Covert Operation

Head toward the bed,

Sneaking back,

Successful completion 

Of midnight snack…

Free and Single

My solitary sitting room,

Filled with cold, empty winter air,

Leave TV volume on, to

Feel like someone else is there...

Wages of Withdrawal

Institutions abandoned,

Rules averted or ignored,

And we were left with a

Situation somewhat unmoored,

Setting up, eventually,

Something awful, untoward...

Mysterious Playwright

Who is it that writes,

The dialogue in my dreams,

Somnolent drama nights…