Didn't See It Coming

The reality of the situation

Became apparent, gradually,

People became aware of it,

Only to a certain degree,

As if there was a sense

Of safety in ignorance...

Crossroads Mall, 1974

Escape to the mall

To shop and cavort,

Partake of fine dining 

In the food court,

No signs of impending 

Retail collapse,

Dacron-clad elders 

Steadily walk their laps...

反省

Push or pull, come and go,

We choose, as the minutes flow,

And later, it’s hard to forget,

The things we’ve come to regret...

Rootless

Tent, tarp, car seat sheltering,

Everyday survival on the fringe,

Scrounge for cash, buy the

Wine, thankfully go on a binge,

Wake-up, somehow, and then,

Just start the journey again...

Compartmentalize

Stress, guilt, panic attacks,

Life’s too short, just put them

In a box, and relax...

マムシ

Mamushi viper hunts patiently,

Inside the bamboo grove,

By the blooming plum tree...

Bedtime Futility

When lurid dreams 

Infuse and infest,

Sleeping will not

Result in rest...

中央公園

Gray sky above the city park

Still air, cold dry and clear,

Pigeons rest in a group on the ground,

Old men drink their morning beer...

Delusions

Prophesies and predictions 

From the political cult,

All mistaken, unfulfilled,

A predictable result...

コロナ

Virus trying to survive, 

Searching for bodies to ride,

Which leaves us no choice

But to disinfect, hide,

Anything to keep it from

Coming inside...

Roofless

Survivor on a park bench,

Totally free and homeless,

Well aware that being alone

Is different than loneliness,

Each new day has a

Ragged solitary feel,

Engaged in endless quest

For the next dumpster meal...

Homegrown

Behold the nation

Beset by monsters

Of its own creation...

Intelligent Life

Afternoon pub drunk,

Karaoke singing stars,

Meanwhile we’ve

Landed again on Mars,

Rice wine obliterating

Boredom, lost love,

Never mind the far, far

Away and above...

Cliffhanging

In retrospect, how fragile was

Our media infused bliss,

Clicking and scrolling, while 

Falling into the abyss...

Consequence

Mysterious melt holes

In Siberian permafrost,

Were the initial signs

That all was lost,

Man apes left with

No place to hide,

From the build up

Of carbon dioxide...

Tamed

Suburban man,

Domesticated completely,

Wash dishes, take out trash,

Sit down to pee...

Cold Clear

February winds can be

A clarifying thing,

Coming from the north,

With the cold that they bring...

Gray Zone

It can be plain to see

That some politicians practice 

Ethical elasticity...

Kaleidoscopic

Hurling through the times,

And the days go by,

Can’t explain what happened,

Let alone why,

Overwhelmed, I don’t 

Know whether to laugh or cry...

Why We Drink

No longer able to hunt and chase,

The man-apes are trapped in rooms,

Within which they restlessly pace,

Bored to distraction as the time crawls by,

No other choice but to imbibe and get high...

Stability

Most just want to be left in peace,

Stay away from pain or losing,

Adventure, fine, as long as

It is of one's choosing...

All About Biology

Sex, pleasure, seduction,

Agents in the service of the

Department of reproduction...