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...