初詣

Japanese going out into
The cold January air,
Thronging shrines
And temples everywhere,
Lined up to offer
Coins and a prayer...

Last Night, 12th Month

Might be hard for
Young ones to believe,
But I tend to sleep
Through New Year's Eve...

No more drunk in
The cold, instead,
Spend the occasion
Warm, in bed...

Some Advice

Precise is nice
But for most stuff
Better is the enemy
Of good enough

Karen

Long lost, her voice,
Contralto, silky smooth,
As if purposely
Designed to sooth,
Sweetly sung out
From a tortured soul,
With a flaw she could
Not fix, make whole,
Her songs, dear and warm,
Masking the pain, the cold,
And she was taken away
Before growing old...

   

Flexible Approach

If front-on
Won't do it,
Try sideways
For a better fit,

Head first,
Sometimes can
Be the worst...

Turn Of The Decade

So long to the
Pig, and all that,
Here comes the
Year of the Rat,
A new decade,
And promises
To be made...

想像の鉄道

Departing on track one,
Old mental train,
Bound for a ghostly
Station inside my brain,
Rolls slow, on rails
Inside the mind,
Where will it stop?
What will it find?

Epitaph

Home stretch,
End of the line,
Words left where
The sun don’t shine,
Lost in an undertow,
Somewhere below...

Theater

Proceed with planning,
Execution, of each event,
Excitement and creative
Energy, totally spent,
Too stressed to notice
Where the time went,
Then celebrate after
It ends in success,
Or soul-suck regret
When it ends in a mess...

Pub Flow

Drink, assuming
No going back,
Coca Cola and
Johnny Walker Black,
Just drift into
Your cul de sac...

Reflexive

Sometimes there
Is no choice,
But to give one’s
Feelings a voice,
And thereby
Exclaim, or notify,
Through a snort,
Laugh, or cry...

クリスマス

Lights shine and twinkle
Colors red, blue, and green,
Summon festivity from
Someplace unseen,
A holiday of myths
In which we believe,
Makes a random day
Special, this Christmas Eve...

Near The End Of 2020’s

Life seemed so peaceful,
Consumer-centric, civilized,
But then the agitators
Got things politicized,
Folks now spun-up, even
Some talk of civil war,
Kill to make America
Great like it was before?
Fear, anger, push-buttons
For partisan stimulation,
Distorting the essence
Of an immigrant nation...

冬至 2019

No surprise, I suppose,
Missed it while it was here,
Cold gray skies over the
Shortest day of the year,
In a Japanese town where
No Jutes or Celts will appear,
Unlike other parts, where
They will organize a feast,
Burn Yule logs, dance around
Stones with a Druid priest...

La Nausee

Regret mixed with anxiety is a
Feeling, starts behind the eyes,
Runs down the throat to the lungs,
Where it then sits, and solidifies,
Then taints each breath with worry,
No choice but to agonize,
Until the arrival of the cure,
No choice but to endure...

No Control

When facing nothingness,
Instead of fear, or denial,
Look squarely into the
Darkness, and smile...

Contemporary Civics

His obsessive
Poems and screeds,
Which no one
Actually reads,
Are getting harder
To ignore,
Than they
Were before,
And can’t figure
How or why
The volume got
Turned up so high...

Somewhere In Virginia

From the suburbs they
Pour out of their homes,
And start their commutes,
Deep Government gnomes,
Lined up on highways
As far as one can see,
Driving toward the swamp
In Washington D.C.

Getting Ready

Way too early morning,
Try to prepare, reflect,
While waiting for
The coffee to connect...

Jet Lag

Slowly drift away in
A place in between,
Where dark meets light,
Untouchable, unseen...

Unconnected

She tries to absorb him,
Looks into his eyes, his face,
He looks back, but his
Mind is in a different place,
And sensing he’s not there
She touches, strokes his hair,
Gently, to awake, impel,
Break him out of the spell...

Misled

The leader’s methodology
Was brilliant, and intense,
But ultimately brittle,
And devoid of common sense,
Yet, undeterred, things moved
Forward to the consequence...

Spouse

It started out all lovey
Dovey, hug and snuggle,
But thereafter devolved
Into a power struggle,
Completely unanticipated
From the start,
But relentless and real,
Till death do us part...

Nocturnal Wet

Cold December
Rain, falling at night,
Sustains no flowers,
Soaks out of sight...

竜頭蛇尾

Started out electric,
Determined, full of fire,
Then stumbled, and became
The subject of satire...

CNN Fox MSNBC

Constant news barrage,
Ultimately a bore,
The stories we all
Have heard before,
Variations on a
Similar theme,
Soon to become
An Internet meme...

Composition

String together thoughts and
Words, in a certain way,
The most important
Thing I will do today,
Words, like colors, painted
On a canvas white,
And empty, which then
Fills up as I write...

Auto-Repeat

Similar feeling days, pass in
Sequence, back to back,
Blend into each other,
And I can’t keep track,
As if I wanted to,
Or even needed to,
Things will just repeat
Until they are through...

Occupational Hazard

Fishermen take for free
The abundance offered
By the sea
But the ocean
Sinks them occasionally

東京湾日の入り

It’s like the sky and sun
Put on a scenic play,
For about 40 minutes
At the end of each day,
Creating changes, colors,
Up in the atmosphere,
All of it viewed with
Awe, from way down here...

Daydream

Happily lost in thought,
Spaced-out, distracted,
Inhabiting a place
Imaginary, unacted,
A fragile and queer,
Comfortable zone,
Where one can only
Enter quietly, alone...

Indirect

Viewed from aside,
Seen at a slant,
One can learn things
That others can’t...

51 Cards

Fixed, bright,
As wide as a mile,
The village idiot’s smile...

秋の蝶々

November, north winds
Bring the cold to things,
Except for a patch of sunlight,
Where a butterfly spreads its wings...

Un-Doggedness

All during the defeat,
What was sorely missed,
Was enough time,
Luck, and the will to resist...

Black Friday

Slack schedule, not like
I’m going to be late,
So why am I anxious
About having to wait?
While all around
Things move and shift
With apparent purpose
While I pause & drift...

How It Was Forgotten

From the hypothalamus
Neurons deploy
Seek morning dreams
To destroy...

Insect Procession

Something mysterious has made
Hundreds of cicada skins
Gather together for a parade... 

(Photo by Geoffrey M. Hamilton, 1955-2011)

Legacy

Rural auto repair
Business is gone
Building's still there...

(Photo by Geoffrey M. Hamilton, 1955-2011)

Misinterpretation

Words sincerely spoken,
But the message sent,
Or at least received,
Was not what he meant,
So that was the end of
It, that's how it went,
Downward and broken...

Slow Leak

Occurs to me that
It’s almost through,
Near done, hours gone,
Of day twenty two,
Says the calendar,
Its numbers a net
To catch the time,
I lose and forget...

On Highway 16

Just Earthlings driving cars,
In the rain, here, right now,
It flashes, a revelation,
Don’t know why or how...

Missing Feast

Roast turkey for dinner
Doesn’t happen in Japan
No stuffing, no
Cranberry sauce in a can,
Because there is
Nothing in between
Merry Christmas
And Happy Halloween

檻

A cruel thing is a cage
Designed to trap, to deny,
The instinct, the ability
To hunt, wander, fly,
Freedom so distant,
As far away as the stars,
Its absence, a void,
Pervades within the bars...

孫

Summoned from somewhere deep
I sense and understand
The feeling that emerges
When I hold my grandchild’s hand...

Aftermath

Just no way to forget,
As long as we shall live,
The terrible act,
Yet, we tend to forgive,
Thereby we shift,
We move the hurt away,
Like a neutering gift,
A debt for the perp to pay,
Offer a smile-curse,
And live for another day...

Japanese Chart

X means “No”,
🔺 means “Maybe”,
O means “Good to go”...

Triangle means three,
And the need for a vote,
Apparently...

A Cure

Her stress erasing
Protocol:
Close the door,
Curl into a ball,
And do
Nothing at all...

Active Shooter

Was it craziness, cowardice,
Or just an afterthought,
The killer committed suicide,
Once  the victims were shot...

Hagibis

Blue tarp, other junk,
Tangled in the mud,
Remains of a homeless
Home, after the flood...

Compromise

It ended, neither good
Nor bad, half and half,
And one doesn’t know
Whether to cry or laugh...

Experience

Painful lessons were
All we got
Learned from
Things never taught

The Faithful

Something to be said
For those who don’t receive,
Yet continue to wait,
Continue to believe...

Shedding

Cold wind hits the
Reddened maple tree
Leaves begin to
Fall with alacrity...

京急バス停

Waiting for a bus,
For the next thing,
Standing here, all of us,
What will it bring?
The future a fall breeze
Caressing our faces,
Rustling the turning trees
Alone in the verdant places,
Feels so transient, vulnerable,
The trees and us, alive,
And breathing, waiting
For a bus to arrive...

Rat Race

Morning commuters driving too fast,
Impatient, in mindless haste,
Race to stop at the next red light,
Makes little sense, what a waste...

Cycle

Eat, belch, fart, yawn,
Get some sleep
Before the coming dawn

Insatiable

Upon reflection,
Viewed from outer space,
Humans look like a mold infection,
Spreading across Earth’s surface
In every direction,
Mold-like, spots and tendrils
Will darkly spread,
Until what nurtures
Is choked and dead...

Streamed Content

Almost hypnotized by the
Spectacle, by what you see,
A story so powerful
It becomes your reality,
Transported away from
Your worries, the mundane,
The drama becomes a
World inside your brain...

Power Politics

What is real?
What is fake?
Truth is tactical,
Something you make,
Cajole, accuse,
Promise and lie,
Survival rules of
The Swamp apply...

Millennial Spat

Their confrontation,
Done via iPhone texts,
Instead of conversation,

Immature, raw
Emotions balking,
At the prospect of
Actually talking,

Relationship devolved
To a hand-held device,

Problem never solved...

Pre-Deployment

Contemplation,
Just a bit,
Before the lights
Get lit,
Door gets opened,
And then,
It all starts
Over again...

Medulla

Fears of being hunted
And eaten, hide,
Deep in the brain where
Reptile memories reside...

Binge

Watching trash on TV,
Don’t stop to wonder why,
Make believe stories
Just help the time go by...

Momentary

An instance of an
Inability to recall
Makes one wonder if it
Really happened at all

Average

Don’t know too little
Don’t think a lot
Just enough data
Not cold not hot
Medium brain
Is what I got

Fall Cleaning

New spring leaves in autumn
The tree outlasting the bugs,
Died in a cold snap, victory
Over the green-eating thugs,
Tree finally breathing free
Six-legged parasites
Evicted permanently...

Reality Check

A man’s reason for existence,
His meaning of life,
Tends to get bracketed
And defined by his wife...

Insomnia

Brain and bladder
Contrive to keep,
Me from getting
A good night’s sleep...

デブ

Ruled by my stomach,
Basically, a slave,
Laboring to ingest
What my taste-buds crave...

Pre-Meeting

Killing time, sitting here,

Waiting for a meeting,

Drinking ice-cold beer

Thoughts and memories fly

Randomly, insect-like,

As the minutes go by

And I can’t escape this

Moment, even if I try....

Post Equinox

Dry air mass descending
As the seasons rearrange
And it just feels so good
To be cool for a change...

Morning After

From a lovely, vivid
Dream, he wakes,
Forgets it immediately
As morning breaks,
Lost dream leaving
A delicious taste,
But no much else,
Oh what a waste...

Duality

Light and dark
Beauty can exist
In the bright and stark

Catatonic

It blankets her again,
The null, blank, and void,
Boredom’s version of Zen...

Quiet Sentinels

Trees are seen,
But not heard,
Listen to the green...

Somewhere Near Lumut

Beneath the fronds of
Oil palms, growing in a line,
Lies the coiled cobra,
In a spot where the sun don’t shine...

Kicking-In

Minutes pass
Too slowly
Waiting for effects
Of coffee...

End Game

Deadline looming
Time running out
Run in circles
Scream and shout...

Relativity

Blurry, awoken
From a long lost night
Two clocks show different
Times, which one is right?

Sakura Lounge

Airport lounge
Business class
Beer automatically
Pours in the glass
Moneyed passengers
Don’t even think
About the time
Just start to drink

Tentative

Circumspection
Caused by fear
Of rejection...

Prepper

Bunker all supplied,
Preparations made,
Ready to survive
When the Aliens invade,
Locked and loaded,
Stay quiet, lay low,
Should be OK
As far as I know...

Loess Love

Farmer’s daughter and hired
Hand, tumble into lust,
Wrestle on the grass
And Aeolian dust,
Love as hot as
The prairie sun,
Burns quick and bright,
And then it’s done...

Let It Be

Regular bowels,
And few regrets,
Is about as good
As life gets...

Chemical Reaction

Unbathed and free
The trailer park chronic,
Voices inside his head
Are symphonic,
Playing loudly on
An internal speaker,
Wired in the brain
Of the tweaker...

Frisco Blues

Sedated in San Francisco,
Don’t know where my good life went,
Stagger on the sidewalk,
Look for a spot to pitch my tent...

Trapped

Bad times in the barrio,
The drugs and gangs demand,
Young men join, run away,
Or try to make a stand...

Unmarked grave sites
Under the desert sand...

Nebraska Territory

Prairie survival
In a hut made of sod
Backbreaking labor
And faith in God
Old country abandoned
To come out here
Into the big empty
As a pioneer...

Wallflower

Blessed are the meek,
Though their prospects
May be bleak...

Soon After Sunrise

Morning swarm, herd, scramble,
On feet, wheels, and rail,
All drawn, sucked-in as
Work places and schools inhale...

Nocturnal

Slowly the
Knock-out gases seep
Into my brain
To make me sleep
Then filter through
Synapses and seams
To unlock the door
And release my dreams...

お彼岸

Tidying up the family grave,
Laying flowers, vaguely aware
That memories keep alive
The lost ones buried there...

Unneeded

No empathy for
Snobs or haters
Or people who
Walk up escalators

Overexertion

It’s a good thing to
Strive and compete,
But important to know
When to chill, or retreat...

Not Quite Right

A nagging sense
That something’s missing,
Pin-hole in the
Life raft, softly hissing...

Biding Time

Some pause
And anticipate
Others simply
Sit and wait

Unexpectedly

Sometimes
You will find hope
At the end
Of your rope...

Missed Signals

Away it went
Unreceived
After it was sent
Leaving a
Contrail
Emotional
Air mail...

Pre-WWW

Oh, those analog
Days of old
Unconnected
Less controlled

Man’s Best Friend

Walking back with burritos
We come upon the greenest grass
Summer-cut, in the shade of a tree,
Not about to let it pass
My Labrador stops to sniff
And finds intoxication
In some sort of earthy whiff
A squirrel’s smell, a hare,
And she starts rolling in it
Dog ecstasy in the August air...

Last One Left

Visit to the graveyard
Now all alone
Small solace given
By words carved in the stone

サラリーマン

Grimly grabbing the hand ring
Wishing he could sit,
But thankfully his station
Is coming up in a bit,
Then there’s another day
Of office toil ahead,
And fourteen hours before
Getting back to bed...

孫

Offspring of our offspring
What wonder and joy
They can bring

Extending
Life beyond
Our ending

Double Burger

Man consumes cow
Meat chewing meat
Washed down with cola
You are what you eat?

立秋

Cicadas tire and disappear
Bell crickets trilling
Autumn is near...

Incapability

Selfishness, myopia,
Consistently corrode
Utopia...

Califias

Temperate abundance
Tortillas and grapes
Hurrying hordes
Of car-driving apes

On The Hook

Ordered to act
As bait
All he could do
Was wiggle & wait

Hunkering

Nothing ventured,
Nothing gained,
But nothing lost, either,
Stability maintained...

Unravelling

She said it wasn’t important,
Didn’t matter all that much,
Then shrank away to a place
He could neither reach, nor touch,
All of it unfolding in the
Fading, warm, tawny air,
A gorgeous sunset, and beginning
Of the end of the affair...

特攻隊

Following the only course
Their fates and orders allowed,
Launched up to deadly sky,
They vanish into the cloud,
And as much as their
Families will pray and yearn,
The boy-pilots
Will never return...

Mundane

Peaceful place,
Safe to rest,
Boring? Sure,
But it’s the best,
Chaos avoided,
Suppressed...

Gone Viral

Say what you might.
Think what you will,
A nasty rumor
Is hard to kill,
Might get forgotten,
But out there still...

Creation

Seemed like her brain was
Empty, the cupboard bare,
Then it appears, from
Nowhere, out of the thin air...

Rifleman Americana

Hateful and misguided,

The angry teen,

Will solve his problem

With an AR-15...

O-Bon

Old family spirits glide
Down to where the
August lanterns guide...

Crayons

A rule for life, as the
Situation offers and defines,
Think outside of the box,
But color inside the lines...

Safety

Circumspection
Can be a form of
Self-protection...

Be Cool

As things turned out
She was smart to wait
Watch the unfolding
Let things percolate...

Border Zone

Drift off to a place
Between consciousness
And something fuzzier,
Something less,
Strange mix of
Asleep and awake,
Ripples on a cool
Smooth lake...

Management Perogative

Sometimes a demand
Will masquerade
As a command...

Morale Raising Session

Mix the apple juice
With the gin,
Add the ice,
And fun times begin,
All focused on
The moment we’re in,
It is what it is,
I think, with a grin...

Pre-Arrival

Warm wind stirring the humidity,
Air conditioners’ hot breath humming,
Sparrow bathing in a rain puddle,
Peaceful, before the typhoon’s coming...

By Mabori Kaigan Station

Old man on the bench
Watching things go by,
Not too concerned about
The what or the why,
Stuff on the news
Which gives folks fits,
Not a worry, here,
Where he sits...

Out Of Control

Oh, my wayward child...
And as much as I try to protect,
Sometimes I can only
Delay or deflect,
What seems bound to happen,
Cause and effect...

鎌倉 Kamakura

At the Zen temple
All thoughts dismiss
Open the void
Jump into the abyss

Tiny Survival

Split-second decisions
Constant stress
Speed and movement
Nothing less
Hunt for food
Till a day is through
Life on Earth
From a sparrow's view

Here Comes The Sun

Humid air in place
And ready to greet
The arrival of
Summer's heat

Before It's Too Late

Time is merciless
Moves too fast
So live each day
Like it was your last

Stick To It

Events sometimes
Discourage, deny,
But still, you
Continue to try...

Area 51

The desert seems death-like,
Wind’s hot whisper sound,
Weird rocks and cacti hide
What’s hidden underground,
Inside the security zone,
And the unreported place,
Where they keep the
Aliens from outer space...

Tower Of Power

I pause, in awe, in
The department store,
And its wall of cosmetics,
Which, I stand before,
Countless chemicals
Sold to women’s pride,
War paint, powders, serums.
To augment, or, to hide,
A monument to the fact
That beauty is not inside...

結果待ち

Trapped in uncertainty, suspended,
Waiting for the diagnosis,
Wishing this tension was ended...

Be Seated

Supermarket bench, an old lady
Pleasure-gasps, involuntarily,
After sitting herself and
Her things down heavily,
Grateful for the break in her
Battle against gravity...

Protective Instinct

Scared off its perch in surprise,
Chased by a small swallow,
How fast the big crow flies...

Youth & Biology

She is gorgeous, he’s so handsome,
The prettiest couple you’ll ever meet,
But based on the law of averages,
One of them is bound to cheat...

Cool Spot

On the Toei Subway platform
There is a certain ceiling vent,
Which blows down cool air,
So that's where I always went,
Just a small life-pleasure
Which is sometimes sent,
Freely, by chance, and I
Could temporarily forget,
The summer heat, as the
Vent blow-dried my sweat...

Almost July

Puddles, vivid greens,
Under the cloudy gray,
Cloying mists on a
Rainy season day...

マックドナルド

Besieged by hungry customers,
Across the countertop,
Slide frantically fashioned
Hamburgers, no end, non-stop,
All done as fast as
The technology allows,
Ensuring the efficient provision
Of ground- up cows...

Fetal Position Defense

Angst, stress caused
By time’s fluxion,
Makes her curl up in
Emotional adduction...

Passing On Genes

They thought of their children,
When they could catch a breath,
And consider their offspring
As a way of cheating death,
Among other thoughts and things
That raising children brings...

203高地

As part of our regimental lunge
We attack into the no man’s land,
Each of us a walking sponge,
To soak-up the flying bullets,
Some of us disintegrate, drop,
And lie unmoving in the mud,
After going over the top...

警備員

The security guard patrols
An empty parking lot,
Out in the rain a
Passing front has brought,
He is of a certain
Stratum and age,
Where he still has to
Earn an hourly wage,
And therefore ends
Up walking his beat,
In the rain, on the
Side of a barren street...

Touchstone

She needed to hold on
To someone, something,
With love, in the
Midst of everything....

Precipitant

Daybreak, half awake,
Aware of the now and this,
And rain is falling
With a whispering hiss...

Equality

Some humans
Learn to be clever,
While others remain
Fools forever...

Although, in the end,
Both have to deal with
That which fate will send...

In The Genes

For reasons both
Conditional and genetic,
Some folks are slow,
While others are frenetic...

Post Commute

At home, after a working day,
A chance to do nothing, decompress,
Lean back in a chair by the window,
Soothed by a cool breeze caress...

And for some unknown why, I smile,
As I just let things float for a while...

Railway To Tomorrow

If life is a train, let’s say,
Speeding from old to new,
Then all kinds of country
It will travel through,
So, as long as you are on it,
Make sure to enjoy the view...

Time Spent & Lost

Stuck waiting outside the restroom,
Next to grandmas gossiping in a pack,
I realize these are minutes in my
Life that I never will get back...

Paris Left Bank

Existential thought,
Considering freedom,
Or being, or not,
Came from cocktails
Flavored with apricot,
And their drinking
Led to the phenomenal
Way of thinking...

Terminal Hurt

Not that easy to explain
But my fear of death is less
Than my fear of pain...

Failed Maintenance

Despite my gardening efforts
The weeds are winning
I suspect they look at me
Laughing and grinning

Art Of The Deal

It’s not what you think,
But rather how you feel,
As you try to decide
Whether to make the deal,
Instead of the Why,
Just focus on the What,
Always watch the eyes,
And go with your gut...

Stacked Deck

Keep on trucking,
Carry on,
You have to play
The card you’ve drawn,
Either win or
Woebegone...

Actress

She figured it out
After a while,
How to pause,
Swallow the bile,
Hide the pain,
And just smile...

Target

Somewhere in the
Afghan combat zone,
The person of interest
Picked up the phone,
And cued a missile
Launched from a drone,
Which flew through the
Window, into the room,
And instantaneous
Eviscerating boom!

All Impending

New day, after
A fitful rest,
Time to
Get dressed,
Caffeinate,
And hope for the best...

引き篭もり

I don’t venture out
Into the village anymore
And my parents know better
Than to knock on the door
To my hiki-komori world:
Four walls, ceiling, and floor...

Match Of The Day

Football chaos and hooligans
Banging the pubs and shebeens
Crescendos to a certain point
And we send in the Marines,
Handcuffs and billy-clubs
Force things to be still
Law enforcement: 1
Beer-bloody fans: nil...

Asleep At The Switch

The race was thought to be over
Pitch made, presentations done,
Tough competition, but seemed
Like we had finally won
All was good, all was fine,
Then panic when we realized
We hadn’t yet crossed the finish line...

Best Medicine

Booze is not the cure
For when one feels depressed,
A bacon double cheeseburger
Actually works the best...

Feels Like Defeat

Nameless, it comes up from the
Lungs to spread behind the eyes
A sort of soft suffocation
Whose effect is to paralyze...

Noborito, 5/28/2019

So unfair, a curse, that
She had to forfeit her life,
Waiting at a bus stop, and
Stabbed by a madman with a knife,
Fate, once again, revealed
To be so random and cruel,
A child killed, just for
Trying to get to school...

鳥居

Pause before the Torii
Which marks a borderline,
Gateway to an area
Believed to be divine...

Existential

That strange special moment
When you float, suspended,
Between what’s next,
And what just ended...

Uneasily, vaguely
Adrift, and aware,
Of now and then,
Here and there...

Morning In The City

Try hugging the pillow,
But can't sleep anymore,
Bird calls, sirens,
Traffic's distant roar...

Stabbed Meal

Starling in the weeds,
What does it seek?
The answer is the
Grub it pulls up with its beak...

Thanks To Amazon

Vines turning the
Colors of fall,
Entwined around
The doors of the
Dead shopping mall,
Its entrance welcoming
No one at all...

Pay No Heed

All the minutes hours days
Lined up in front of me
At least that’s what I
Assume things to be
Carefully ignoring
My mortality

A Few Cards Short...

Like a bad weird

Dream’s refrain

Stuck again with

An idiot on the train...

幸福の科学

The church of Happy Science
An exotic place to pray
But be sure to exit
Before they make you stay

Wasted Beauty

Fresh flowers,
Mainly colored white,
Wait in the smokey
Incense light,
To be cut,
And then burn
With the body
Going into the urn...

What Will Happen

Prophets will prognosticate,
But after that, we just
Have to sit back and wait...

Out Of The Blue

Out of a dream, a word
Appeared in my head,
It caused me to wake,
Roll out of my bed,
To look it up,
Because I forgot
If it was a real word,
Or not...

Shadow World

She looks up from
Fingering her phone,
It’s not the same place,
She’s all alone,
A voice whispers: “Welcome
To the Twilight Zone”...

Difference Of Elevation

Up in the tree,
The happy bird sings,
Down below, we
Try to make the best of things...

Retail Reality

Customer service counter
She pauses in place
A totally empty
Look on her face
Staring blankly
Off into space...

Solitary End

Stroke in the toilet
Away from her phone
She never had a chance
She died alone...

Imperial Succession

The ceremonies proceed
In a measured flow,
Each move and gesture
Conducted “just so”,
Ancient processes
Dignified and slow...

Destination

It’s not the where,
Rather, who you’re with,
While you’re there...

Man Made Shift

No matter who you are
Or what you believe
Change is impending
On a new era’s eve

Gerontology

I can amble around
With the help of my cane
And drink down pills
To dull the pain
All part of the process
Of falling apart
Can’t fuck anymore
But I can fart
And eating provides
A small measure
Of otherwise
Diminished pleasure...

平成の終

Gentle rain, a morning
Mild and gray,
This last day of Heisei...

Clickbait

A modern day
Manipulator
Is the fake news
Content creator...

Democracy

See the politician
Run and emote
Promise anything
To get your vote...

Being Held

Putting the baby to rest,
It occurs to me as
I hug him to my chest,
That there was a day
When someone did the
Same thing, same way,
To me, way back when,
Those infant memories
Now beyond my ken...

Sidewalk Tactics

Adults avoid puddles,
It’s what they do,
Kids, on the other hand,
Just splash right through...

Biomass Mugging

Weeds burst from the ground,
As Spring is renewed,
Their corner lot now
Covered and subdued,
The green invaders
Grow wild and tall,
Until they get chopped
Down, come Fall...

Indescribable

A moment words can’t capture
Only surround
When utter relief
Is uncorked, unbound...

Driftable

A body’s mind

Is just like air

Free to wander

Anywhere...

Law Enforcer

Japanese policeman
Patient and polite
Until he is
Challenged to fight
At which point
He uses judo and more
To flip you over
And onto the floor...

Doesn't Even Realize

Watching the wave-less waters,
The old idiot sits with a grin
Pasted on his face, oblivious
To the moment he is in,
Ignorant of the news
Of this cursed Earthly day,
Good, bad, and absurd,
But he's all OK...

海風公園 (2)

Ending of a day,
Dusk approaching
Turning things gray,
Time to depart, but
We still want to stay,
Ignore it, and extend
The moment of joy,
Don't let it end...

Forgotten Warship

Battleship MIKASA,
Cemented to the pier,
Carried heroes of a war
None remember anymore,
Fought long ago
And far away from here,
Its empty deadly guns
Evoke no fear...

海風公園

Lazy day, in the park,
Flying a kite, kicking a ball,
Not a care in the world,
It is Spring after all...

BMI

Seems obvious that
“Plus-sized”, “curvy”
Simply mean “fat”

Energy

Burst out from the
Azaleas, like arrows
And into the camphor
Tree, fly the sparrows...

Java Java Java

On an office morning
When all is busy-new,
Only a hot cup of
Coffee will do...

Death From Under

A submarine is a ninja,
It dives to disappear,
And all the ships above
Are left to navigate in fear...

Sense Of Caution

She seemed to feel
Two types of fear:
The if or when,
Or, now and here...

Staying In The Game

It’s usually a
Matter of luck,
Or knowing
When to duck...

Survivor

Unnoticed, the cockroach
Manages to slowly crawl,
Across the cafe floor,
To a safe crack in the wall...

Another Way

Sometimes, an idea,
Seemingly fresh and new,
Simply comes from
A different point of view...

Winter Bedtime

At last, resting under my blanket
And things start to get warm
Consciousness starts fading
And dreams begin to swarm...

Clear Air Turbulence

Jerked up from the seat I’m in
Coffee burst-splatter
Bounce off the overhead bin...

Lingering

Japanese tea time
Women have the power
To make a small piece
Of cake last an hour...

Pagan Relief

Old man stands below
The tall holy stone,
Prays to its spirit,
Unnamed, unknown,
Then leaves, feeling
A little less alone...

Harajuku 原宿

Pastel-colored hair
Is all the rage
But only for those
Of a certain age...

Looking Up At Me

Parking lot fence
Spring morning mist
Small purple flowers
In the weedy grist...

Maturity

Grown-up means sometimes
Saying “No” to friends,
Cleaning the messes,
Tying up loose ends,
Handle the stress-bombs
A working day sends...

Not So Much

Each new free day,
A gift, blank slate,
To some extent,
Per schedule & fate...

春

Spring is unambiguous,
Evident all around,
Green things popping
Up out of the ground...

No Mercy

Battle done, the wounded invaders
Lie clinging to their lives,
But then came the enemy’s
Widows with knives...

Human Nature

An understanding of humans,
And their nature, is complete,
When you realize they are
Always able to lie or cheat,
Sometimes in order to survive,
But more often just to
Deflect or profit or thrive...

Revelation

That mystic state
For which you search
Is not to be found
In book or church

Better to start
By looking in
Your head or heart

Troubled Sleep

As far as I can tell
It was the donut
Who led the others to rebel
Turning my stomach
Into some kind of hell

Our Place

A bit off the grid,
Taking things slow,
We taste each day,
Keep our heads low,
Don’t really need
That much anymore,
Pray the fires stay
Away across the shore...

Easier Said Than Done

Young ones went to Washington,
The political swamp to drain,
But as it turned out, their
Search for the plug was in vain,
The partisan mud of the marsh
Too viscous, tangled, and harsh...

Gift Of Old Friends

Fast forward, time races,
But feels slowed down
By old friends’ faces...

Smiles over days months years,
Act as a sort-of brake,
Offer comfort continuity
As events unfold, overtake...

Chemical Reaction

One moment tired,
Seconds later,
Inspired,
Thanks to a
Cup of hot energy,
Now inside of me...

Headed For Home

Endless boxy buildings go by,
Seen from a train window,
Soggy, empty, cold gray sky...

Hidden Meaning

"Good night",
A wish against
Dark dreams, fright,
A spell
Against waking up
In Hell...

Revisionism

History, assuming it can be remembered,
Tells the story of people and their nation,
But as hard as we try to record the facts,
They are subjected to interpretation,
And twisted to fit a desired shape,
Or politically correct configuration...

Perspective

To the young ones it was
A shock, a surprise,
But not so much, when
Viewed by older eyes...

It's newer and better
The youths proclaim,
But while the words are
Different, the tune's the same...

1915, Somewhere Near Ypres

Guzzle down the rum ration,
Dull your fear, go over the top,
Stumble ahead in no man’s land,
Until a bullet makes you stop...

Rush Hour

Not out of love and devotion,
Rather, fear and necessity,
All this morning locomotion,
Towards another working day...

Stay Calm

Stress darts hit
In a flurry,
Leading to
Panic and worry,
Drag-down
Emotional slurry...
Stop; Breathe;
It’s not your hurry...

Before The Fall

Tired of fighting gravity
The old lady decides to quit,
And cane-walk shuffles
Over to a place to sit,
Soon joined by another,
Much-weathered, soul,
They trade advice on
Bodily damage control,
Under the skylight,
Next to the waterfall,
In the soon to be
Shuttered shopping mall...

由利の名言

Success or failure
Whichever comes true
Largely depends
On what you do

Writer’s Block

Unreel my mental fishing line,
Tie-up the end with bait,
Then cast it into the poem
Pond, and wait...
The words are swimming
Deep, out of sight,
I know they are there,
But get no bite,
No point in getting
Gruff, upset,
Next time use
Dynamite and a net...

Respite

Having dodged a day’s
Traps and attacks,
Time to lie down,
Breathe deeply, relax...

Magic

Not if, but when,
Strange things happen,
Now and then...

Skywatchers

Huge, hand-hewn stones,
Of unknown provinience,
Stood-up in gray rows,
Form a sort of circular fence,
An ancient holy sun dial
Laid out in the green grass,
Under the stars it measures,
Watches, the seasons pass...

Momentary

The soothing chorus of a well-loved song,
Heard while the sky turns golden-pink,
Transforms an ordinary end of a day
Through which I stagger and slink,
Into some minutes of anguished joy,
An uprush of emotion and bliss,
Embraced before time will destroy...

Post Holidays

No anticipation here,
Taking down the holiday lights,
Gone the joy, gone the cheer...

Treadmill

Sit back, relaxed, content,
Bills paid, answers sent...

Enjoy these moments
While they last,
Because the next
Wave’s coming fast...

Lost Seat

Leaden skies,
Crows cries,
Empty bench
Where she waited for the bus,
She, now gone
From us...

Powers Lake, ND

He was from the old country
Across the sea, ruined by war,
A place too damaged to fix
It like it was before,
A bitter place abandoned
For hope at a distant shore,
Where now he preaches
To a small congregation,
Offspring of others who came
To this immigrant nation...

The Unpredictable

Need to be prepared,
Just in case, in the event
A shock to the system
Is suddenly sent...

Her electric smile,
All promise and charm,
Given freely, alluringly,
A cause for alarm...

Ready, Fire, Aim

Act, before you think,
Don’t be the first
To blink,

Jump on the chances,
Make your own luck,
As for consequences,
Who gives a fuck...

Seen From Above

A strange, mental place,
When I find my way there,
Occasionally, aware of
Myself being aware...

Old News

Out in the cold, out of his mind,
Ambles an old man wearing a beret,
Carrying old news, bundled for an
Offering on recyclable garbage day...

Alternative Programming

News, demanding his attention,
But he decides, instead, to forgo,
And switches the channel over
To a soothing children's show,
Escape from the constant
Blaring, bickering, undertow...

Polar Vortex

Rain drops down into the cold,
Crystalizes, clear and precise,
Covers, smothers, everything,
With layers of snow and ice...

And the wind chill
Is a beast
Which can kill...

Solitary Journey

Fading consciousness
And into the dream zone
Where something waits
One must go alone...

Money Is Skin Deep

Rich and ugly,
No need to care,
Money solves
Things everywhere,

Rich and beautiful,
Just so unfair...

Cocoon

Happy with the
Place I’m in,
Bed-warm, with blanket
Pulled up to my chin...

Sports Moment

Out from the
Stadium, they stream,
Fans of the losing team,
One of them
Stops to scream...

Scandinavian Curse

Finally escaped from IKEA
Drive through traffic and weather
No chance for rest until
I put all the pieces together...

Burden

Once a promise is made,
You must keep it, or break it,
Or delay and evade...

Skid Row Colors

Weed flowers growing from
A crack in the concrete,
Add a bit of green to the
Tired, littered, street,
Small purple blooms
Defy the wintry elements,
Complement the blue
Tarped homeless tents...

Trash Raptors

Ravens, the color of
A moonless night,
Feathers gleam
In the winter light,
Stab the plastic
With claw and beak,
Trash bag holds
The food they seek,
They peck and pull,
They rip and carve,
Patiently, deftly,
Lest they starve...

Family Chew

Mashed potatoes, gravy,
And roasted beast,
Uncork the Cabernet,
Time for the feast,
Must not talk politics,
But try as we might,
Opinions are uttered,
And that starts the fight,
Faces turn crimson,
And feelings are hurt,
But the healing begins
With a chocolate dessert....

A Waste

Zealots fighting zealots,
All across the land,
Life’s too short for hating,
Won’t they ever understand...

火葬場

Clad in black,
After the burn,
Using chopsticks
We each take our turn,
Picking bone pieces
To put in the urn...

Due Diligence

Manage the confusion,
Deal with the pain,
The ground will get firmer
After the rain...

Illusion

Earth is just an
Astronomical speck,
Feels like so much more...
What the heck?

Endgame Tastebuds

He may not function
Like he used to do,
Bad back, creaky knees,
But he still can chew,
So now life’s meaning
Is rice, soup, stew,
Food is god, as the
Final times ensue...

ポテトサラダ Potato Salad

Packaged foods aisle,
The old woman has
Been there a while,
Intensely eyeing a
Potato salad pack,
Suddenly she takes
One, from the back,
And turns it over
In her careful hands,
Inspecting it closely,
Unmoving, she stands,
Takes time to make
Her purchase decision,
Using an old woman’s
Patience and precision...

Suburbia

Quiet, in an empty way,
Is how suburbia evolved,
Its middle class residents
Anonymous, uninvolved,
Scurry between their
Doorways and their cars,
Hurry off to yoga and
Self-help seminars,
Their houses are castles,
Like happiness avatars,
Streets that are everywhere,
And nowhere, allow a luxury
Of not having to care....

The Base

Things are meant
To be a certain way,
Per what the verses
In the Bible say,

Defend against
The different ones,
And, if needed,
We have our guns,

Things were better
Way back when,
Need to make
Them great again....

Modern Humor

Cynicism has
A caustic power
And satire is a
Poisonous flower
All on display
During Comedy Hour
Where the laughs
That you hear
Hoot from a
Smiley sneer...