車社会

This surreal, mobile,

World we live in,

Riding an internal

Combustion engine,

Which propels us

In our too-large car,

To needless, random

Places, near and far...

A Valley in Nepal

A glacier collapsed 

And stormed downhill,

A rock-mud tsunami

To crush and kill,

Mercilessly destroying

A peaceful day,

And we couldn't run

Fast enough to get away...

What Will Be

Tomorrow, an enigma, with

Risks and fissures fraught,

Plans are undependable,

Despite what we were taught,

Products not the same as

What we thought we bought...

Grind & Create

Writing this month's twentieth poem,

Find the right words, carry the load,

Wheels spin before they engage,

Almost made my brain explode...

Safe Haven

In addition to sucking

Up carbon dioxide,

The tree is a place

To rest and hide,

For evading the

Hawk and crow,

Its leaves providing 

Cover, down below,

This, the songbirds

Somehow know…

無理の月見

Moon hidden 

Behind cloud,

No dreamy 

Gazing allowed,

The opaque 

Situation,

Not conducive to

To inspiration,

Which relies

On moonbeams,

Unblocked, unfettered,

It seems…

立秋

After the passing of typhoon,

A cool glimpse of autumn,

But gone too soon,

And wild lilies droop

In the drowsy afternoon…

Micro Risk

Every time they walk out the door,

The chance that things may not return

To the way they were before…

The Process

Eventually, it

Catches up with you,

And it's not like

You never knew...

Stuff

An accumulation of things,

And the feeling of permanence,

Stability, that brings...

Bric-a-brac, books,

Lined up on the wall,

Pretends to postpone,

That which will befall...

Law of the Jungle

In case of

International spat,

Call up the

Diplomat,

But if it turns

Into a war,

Need something

Much, much, more...

Then also comprehend,

That it may not neatly,

Quickly, end....

Babysitting

If the truth be told,

Grandkids make you feel

Both young and old...

The Mower

Cut grass, and he

Can sense and see,

The abandonment,

Slowly, of infinity,

The chopped weeds

Remind of the reality,

Of impermanence

And our fragility...

Glacial

Years of struggle, smiles,

And effort applied,

Left their relationship

Stable, but petrified...

Take 5

Catch your breath,

Catch a break,

Luck lies in the

Bed you make...

Otsu Port

Protected from waves and tidal churn,

Seagulls sit on harbor ramp, waiting

For the fishing boats' return...

Troubled

Something’s off,

Doesn’t feel right,

Trapped, in a

Restless night…

Spooky

That childhood feeling

Of fear and dread,

Over what is hiding 

Under the bed,

Pull up the blanket,

Shivered & shook,

Nothing really there,

But too scared to look…

Sideways

Glass half empty,

Glass half full,

Either way

Suboptimal…

きつい・危険・汚い

Toiling in hot afternoon heat,

Dressed in coveralls, colored blue,

Foreigners grinding on the work

Which Japanese will not do…

In prosperous Japan, an

Unspoken understanding,

That “others” will do the jobs

Which are physically demanding…

Outside Dentist Office

Analyzing the pattern in the

Wallpaper, contemplating,

The difference between null

And dull, waiting,

Mind wrapped around

Nothing at all,

All stop, until the

Next shoe will fall…

New Normal

Family gathered, all

Quiet and nice,

Each screen-sucking

On their own device…

頑張れ

Embarked on a challenge,

Ship has set sail,

No choice now, but to

Endure, and prevail...

空気を読む

In Japan, one learns

To "read the air",

Learn from words

That are not there...

And the meaning

Of how, or what,

Is ultimately

Sensed in one's gut...

Hemingway's Hint

Edit, while sober, what

You wrote, while high,

Seems to work, but

Not too sure why...