The Looming

Before the typhoon, worried and

Clearing off the storm drain,

Weathered old woman,

With her rake, in the rain... 

現代のアメリカ

2021 America,

Strange time, frenetic pace,

Paranoid patriots,

And billionaires in space,

Out of control influencers

All over the place... 

Getting There

For getting from start to finish,

And through what's in between,

Best to have a helpful hobby,

And stick with a good routine...

Anglers' Zen

Baited lines cast out into the bay,

Hours pass, the day's lights diminish,

Don't catch much, but that's missing

The point, it's not about the fish...

The Way Ahead...

Something in life which needs to be learned,

Is where you best fit, where you belong,

And until you can discover it, own it,

Stay healthy, be patient, be strong...

Mountain Memorial

Climb, slowly, up a volcano slope,

To reach the place where they were lost,

All of them trapped by the eruption,

And killed by the rocks it tossed,

We join hands now and pray,

With aching legs, counting the cost...

Reality Check

A view of things, at 66,

Life still playing

Its various tricks,

Somewhat wiser now on

How to handle, or fix,

But with more aches and

Pains added to the mix,

Day by day,

Toeing the line,

Hoping to make it

To sixty nine...

海釣り公園

Sea wall in the gloaming, fishing

Lines with red and green LEDs.

Cast, hopefully, in the dying light,

Out into the ocean breeze.

And into a nearby bush,

An old man pees...

コロナ時代

Then along came cursed Covid,

Trying to live by killing us all,

But survive we could, and did,

Science and instinct reacting, 

And in patient rooms we hid,

Trading freedom for safety,

Our ultimate quo-pro-quid...

A Watched Pot

IV bottle, drip, drip, drip,

Waiting, watching its level lower,

And, tick, tick, tick, it feels

Like time is moving slower...

Illusion

I know it’s just something

Inside my head,

But the sky looks much bluer 

From my hospital bed...

彼岸の前

Equinox early morning,

Crickets softly trill, 

Noisy cicadas a memory,

All is gray and still...

Bee-like

Our urban existence,

And all those different lives,

Crammed into massive,

High-rise, concrete hives...

The Perfect Food

Off across the parking lot,

And into the calorie store,

Looking to buy fresh

Ground flesh of herbivore,

Then use heat convection 

To burn it to perfection,

Bite, chew, swallow, and

Head out to get some more...

Why?

Feelings of enmity and

Hate having awoken,

Led to attacks leaving

The dead and broken,

But the cause of it all

Unexamined, unspoken...

ワープロ

A S D F, and the

Rest of the keys,

Tap to create

Infinite possibilities...

Essential Workers

End of a working day, 

Awareness of time

Just slipping away,

Apparent to

All of us,

Standing, waiting,

For a bus...

Building Block

Learning can

Begin,

When, it,

Sinks in,

An connects with

A neural place within...

Handheld

Scrolling, bathed in

Blue light,

Sleepless, deep

Into the night...

The Coming Cool

Greens starting to yellow,

And the winds freshen,

Leaves fall with approach 

Of a tropical depression,

Which will swirl, enable,

Autumn’s egression...

Sense Of Humor

A bit of advice,

For what it’s worth,

Always strive to

Maximize your mirth...

Tactical Pause

Sometimes it’s better to 

Shut-up and wait,

Then be alert for the

Chance to negotiate...

Your Retirement Benefits

Gerontic mid-60s reverie,

Full of pathos and purity,

Contemplating the now,

And social security,

So far away gone are 

Thirty, yet alone twenty,

What lies ahead is

Less than more or plenty...