うっちゃり

Sumo wrestler, desperately applying
Push, which melds into the other's pull,
And combines to send him flying...

What's On Sale

The salesman uses energy,
Guile, psychology, speed,
To convince the customers
To buy what they don't need...

Salesmen in politics, churches, stores,
Tally their commissions
Behind closed doors...

Perennial

Down into the dirt I retreat
To my winter bed, where
I will wait for April's heat

Something Borrowed

Ghost, zombie, demon queen,
Gather at Shibuya crossing,
Japanese doing Halloween,
Without wondering what
It might really mean...

Autumn Moment

Basking in sunshine
On car hood
Lies a feral cat
All is good...

Some Kind Of Wisdom

Over the years I
Have come to discern,
That life pays out
Based on what you earn,
A lesson, some just
Can't seem to learn...

On the other hand, Life
Can also bait & switch,
Screw you over totally,
Karma is a bitch...

On The Shelf

So many books, unread,
And most will remain so,
When I am dead...

Hugging A Tree

The bark is rough against my face
My arms, too short, to wrap around
The girth of the god of this forest place,
Me, a few decades'-worth of meat
And fat, the tree has seen hundreds
Of seasons, through cold and heat,
Twisted by winds, it has grown
Into a giant, and I, embrace its life,
Both of us breathing, and alone...

We Will Go Viking

Sound the alarm!
Run to the woods,
Abandon the farm...

Bring your long knife,
Your bow and quiver,
Scandinavian thugs
Are rowing up the river...

Majestic

I pause from my mountain
Hike, made breathless,
By the majestic beauty
Of this piece of wilderness,
Lost in the moment, lost
In love of the emptiness...

Autumn Graveyard

Moss-covered stones,
Below them
Lie bones,
And, up above,
Remnants
Of love...

Post-Stroke

Old man baby steps slowly,
Favoring his stiff left side,
His cane tapping cadence
With each footstep applied,
Rehabilitation on an autumn
Day, windless, dry, and tame,
Sun's heat a balm, though
It burns hot all the same...

Non-verbal

The offer, was refused,
With the word "No"
Never used,

Face-saving denial,
Of request, through
A Japanese smile...

Morning Pause

Those occasional moments when,
His mind is like a blank piece of
Paper, but forgot to bring a pen...

Welfare Safety Net Fail

85 years old, alone in my
Place, with nothing at all,
But me, no friends still
Alive who might call,
No one left to lift me
Up when I finally fall...

How it came to this,
Bad luck, poor timing,
Karma's sweet cruel kiss,
I can't really understand,
What the hell did I miss?

Safe To Be Ignored?

Typhoon, causing meteorological
Chaos, releasing its power mercilessly,
Never makes landfall, safe to be ignored
Except by those who work on the sea...

Resolved On A Friday

I am determined
Not to do nothing,
Act on what the
Moment will bring,
Catch the curve
Ball it will fling...

K9

A barking dog
Will not bite
But on the other hand
It might

Persistence

Don't give up, even if
You think the door is shut,
For even a blind squirrel
Will sometimes find a nut...

Game Of Life

As hard as you may work or try,
A decision sometimes is made,
Outside of your ken, or control,
Based on the card that's played...