ZZZZ

While asleep completely,

2022 turned

Into 2023...

Advice

If curious

About your fate

Don't act

Just wait

Somewhere In China, Late-2022

Fist fight at the crematorium

Over who's next turn,

To shove their Covid corpse

Into the oven to burn...

Tactical Pause

Tired brain worries, wracks,

Better to find Zen,

Slow down, and relax...

お焚き上げ

Flames from burning votives

Cast a flickering light,

Across the shrine courtyard,

Solemn New Year's night...

Keep On Trucking

Slog on, try to

Do your best,

And the gods will

Take care of the rest...

Lifeforce

Narcissus, visited by

Tiny Winter bees,

In dirt which

Doesn't freeze,

Small green hope

Under empty trees...

The Trick Of Time

Cold dry evening air,

Under waxing Moon,

Another year

Will be ending soon,

Or so the clocks

And calendars proclaim,

But apart from that,

Things feel the same...

Whew

War-torn, infected, 2022,

Finally ended,

Somehow, we made it through...

Sequential

Another new day,

Feels the same,

Similar to yesterday,

It has no name...   

Bench Time

When gravity gets too heavy,

Declare, for a moment, defeat,

Find a good spot, catch your 

Breath, take a seat...

We Won't Get Fooled Again

The whole purpose for 

Building the wall

Was to keep them out,

Prevent our ruler's fall,

But the wall didn't work,

The invaders arrived,

Those who resisted died,

Those who didn't survived,

The attackers took over,

Their profit, our loss,

Meet the new boss,

Same as the old boss...

Post-Dogma

Brainwashed from childhood,

We had faith, we believed,

Then later found it all to be untrue,

We're empty now, relieved,

Guilt-gnawings cease,

Replaced by a modicum of peace...

Deterrent Design

The park bench has been designed,

To prevent it from being used as a bed,

So, the tired homeless dude just goes

To sleep on the ground, nearby, instead...

年末年始

Approaching the Solstice,

Cold dry, late-December,

The year past being

Something not to remember,

We, almost instinctively,

Gather, family and friends,

Reaffirm our love for each

Other, as the year ends...

Green Power

In a crack in the pavement,

From a random seed,

Bursts up into the light,

A renegade weed…

朝の音

Urban awakening,

Things are stirring,

Rubber-on-asphalt

Whirring-purring,

Rushing machines

Groan and roar,

A morning’s peace

Exists no more…

Salvage

Hope and

Expectation hover,

As efforts are made

To recover,

Patiently

Paying the cost,

To revive

Love lost...

Cause And Effect

Luckily, his distraction

Helped to prevent

A nonconstructive action...

Magic Melody

The lovely old song

Caused her to come up for air

From a dark quiet place

Of despair...

How It Started

Animals and gods hadn't a clue

About what would transpire,

Toxic transformations, after

Man discovered fire...

Nocturnal

Adventures, fear,

Magical schemes,

Endlessly swirling

In my dreams...

After 5

A good stiff drink

To relieve the stress,

Makes you happy,

Feelings undress,

Then burst and release,

Leaving some kind of peace...

Mind Control

Re-focus and repress,

Bad memories disappear

More or less...

Time Management

Generally helps to think

Ahead, have a plan,

And make sure to take

A nap, when you can...

Over Tea

Old ones gathered

They gossip and chatter

All vital to them, but

Otherwise doesn't matter...

Old Apartment Dweller

Hot plate and 4.5 

Tatami's is all,

Communal toilet

Down the hall,

He waits for it,

Still and prone,

Numb, half-drunk,

And alone...

Mental States

Some, sleeplessly seek

What might be ahead,

Others, stay high,

In the moment, instead...

Yellow Gold

Trees preparing to slumber,

Colored yellow gold,

A short burst of beauty,

Before the coming cold...

Word Play

The sophist asked:

"Which is more real?"

"What you think,

Or what you feel?"

After a pause,

My reply,

Was a simple:

"Why?"...

Polylith

Stones come together

Standing this way

If they could talk

What would they say...

Pink

The ethereal

Power

Of a perfect

Flower

Gut Reaction

Finally, grudgingly,

Acknowledged the fact,

That he was a life-support

System for a digestive tract,

Constantly, unconsciously,

Driven by the need to eat,

Followed inexorably

By the order to excrete...

Gray Matter

Inside our brains,

Memory and 

Past remains,

Which a chemical stew

Somehow retains...

Storytellers

Politicians, preachers, activists,

All of them tense and declarative,

Vie for believers as they

Battle to shape the narrative...

立冬の花

Weed blooms yellow-gold,

Under a late-autumn sky,

Releasing a bit of beauty,

When the air is cool and dry...

Didn't Join Debate Club

Thinking about it afterwards,

Realizing what you could have said,

But you'd launched a

Lame response instead,

As usual, losing out to

Those of quicker wit,

Brains just wired differently,

You're forced to admit...

In My Car

Big old Buick

Bench seat,

Where dreams

And desires meet,

Breathless teenage

Hormone heat...

庭園

In a Japanese garden, capture,

Hold, a moment,

Queer quiet rapture...

Non Verbal

Unexpectedly,

Her reply,

Was just a

Shrug and sigh...

忘年会

Mid-November, the time

Is drawing near,

To gather, get drunk,

And forget this year...

Indigenous

After the land-hungry

Foreigners arrived,

Only the tough and

Clever survived,

Natives caught in

An implacable plight,

Most chose to endure,

Rather than fight...

Escape

From the daily rat-race,

Ease up a bit,

Look around carefully,

Then quietly quit...

San Francisco Tenderloin

Escape the hellish day,

Forget, float, pleasure-lift,

Then mercilessly crash,

Fentynol's deadly gift...

Pre-Extinction

Dinosaurs did not doubt their

Dominance, not even a bit,

Enjoying apex reptile life,

Until the comet hit...

Pre-Boarding

Head toward a distant

Destination, through the air,

Turn my body over to

Airline industry's care...

Ones And Zeroes

Clicking and scrolling,

On a journey of constant discovery,

Into the distant digital

Internet infinity...

Geopolitics

Land border,

Permanent threat

To peace and order...

Better security

Surrounded

By the sea...

Life Tactics

A way to stay

Stable and sane,

Enjoy, embrace,

The mundane...

At The 100 Yen Store

Halloween goods, mark

Down sale for clearance,

Orange changed to red, as

Christmas makes its appearance,

Decorations and trinkets,

Replaced and rearranged,

Retail's reminder that

The season has changed...

A Fool's Gambit

An embarrassing moment for the King,

A hush fell over the court, no one spoke,

Fearing the King's anger, nary a sound,

Until the Jester decided to tell a joke,

And the King burst out in laughter,

And the Jester famous ever after...

Arboreal Management

A tall majestic Ginko tree,

Branches amputated, pruned,

Done for the tree to stay healthy

But it looks abused and ruined,

Now naked, and facing

The cold that winter will bring,

Its greenness not to return

Until the distant spring...

煽り運転

In a fit of rage, he

Burst out of his car,

Only to be run-over,

He didn't get far,

His ego so tied-up

With speeding and driving,

He ended up

Not surviving...

紅葉

The forested hills turn

Yellow, orange, brown,

Cool and above the

Busy indifferent town...

あお向け

Meditate,

Or maybe

Vegetate,

His favorite

Mental state...

Grandpa Duty

Pushing the pram,

We go round and round,

In the hall of the mall,

Through synth wave sound...

オミクロン

Followed prevention protocols,

Medicated, as directed,

But the virus was more agile,

And he still got infected,

What came afterwards,

Though, was less than expected...

Pinball Wizard

Playing pinball pachinko,
What you'll want to do,
Is watch the motion and lights,
Until you reach the state of MU,
MU being Japanese for
Empty, null, and nothingness,
For some, a fleeting form
Of happiness...

Being There

I got this weird feeling

Right out of the blue,

Time and place familiar,

But not quite deja vu...

Stagflation

Can't get over, no matter

How hard I work,

Prices keep rising,

Boss is a genial jerk,

The face of my fate

Wears a tired smirk...

Loyalty

Those who follow

Those who lead,

Drawn along,

Fail or succeed...

花火大会

Flowers of fire, alight,

Burst colors, loud,

All above the awestruck

Japanese crowd...

Icarus-like

Happiness, self

Satisfaction his aim,

Tireless, unending

Pursuit of fame,

But ended up flying

Too close the the flame...

Hitting The Wall

Brilliant plan developed,

Grand strategy designed,

But after running into reality,

Things faltered and fell behind...

Morning Mirror

Fierce focus on the

Fight she is in,

Against the wrinkles

Emerging in her skin,

Lotions, serums,

Supplement collagen,

Applied, ingested,

Again and again...

Cold Start

Alas, alas,

Fewer ideas,

Running low on gas,

Have a cuppa tea,

This too shall pass...

Fish Hunt

Placid pond,

Sudden splash,

Diving Egret,

White flash...

Timepeace

The various clocks,

On which we depend,

To remind us of the

Beginning, and the end...

A Cold Draft

Long waiting lines

At the foreign border,

Try to run away from

Mobilization order,

Almost waited too

Long and too late,

To avoid being sucked

Into a bleak painful fate...

Outwardly Calm

Motionless, all quiet 

And peaceful on the bed,

But simultaneously,

A total circus inside my head...

Road To Chaos

Politics turning ugly,

Things getting intense,

May no longer be possible

To sit on the fence,

Bullies pushing us

To pick a side,

No place to run,

No place to hide...

Float Away

Sensing the drift,

Direction of the flow

She took a deep breath

And let go...

Steady As She Goes

My life sometimes feels

Like a marathon race,

Continue towards the end,

While careful with my pace,

Aware that it is fine

Not to rush to the finish line...

台風14号

Typhoon winds, ferocious,

Blowing helter-skelter,

We huddle, dripping wet,

In emergency shelter,

Try to get comfortable

On a mat on the floor,

While outside the mad

Winds wound and roar...

Responsibility

Afterwards, in the back of

My head, a small voice,

Saying "Don't blame others,

It was your choice"...

Bugeaters

Bats flutter around

Below the crow

Insect assassins

In the gloaming's glow...

November Grapes

The airplane from France,

Lands in the evening glow,

Filled with a cargo of

Beaujolais Nouveau,

Its arrival in Japan

Per contract withal,

An annual reminder

Of the coming of Fall...

True Brew

Neither good nor bad,

Here nor there,

Alcohol's God's apology

For making us self-aware...

Special Operation

Cannot look away,

Impossible to ignore,

Following developments,

Keeping bloody score,

Watching from distance

The ongoing war...

ユーモア

Things go better with

Smiles and mirth,

For all intents and purposes,

For what it's worth...

Tik-Tok World

In retrospect, it wasn't

A well-considered scheme,

Our failure later caught on camera,

And turned into a famous meme... 

満月の無

Moonlight reflected on

Breaking waves

Silvery light which

Soothes and saves

Clinical Lunch

In various conditions,

And stages of decrepitude,

The old ones settle down

To eat their hospital food,

In the cafeteria, colored

A calm light blue,

They slowly feed, happy

To be able to chew...

Momentary Smiles

The source of their

Happiness was mysterial,

Genuine joy, but fleeting,

Ethereal...

時差ボケ

Jet-lagged and listless,

Weighed down on the bed,

Vulture-like minutes

Slowly circle overhead...

Pre-Winds

Damp gray September day,

Not a hint of a breeze,

Typhoon brewing

In the southern seas... 

Special Ed

He actually 

Went to school

To study how to

Play the fool...

Imagination

Everything special

Not as it seems

Like the colors

In my book of dreams...

社会の重み

Japanese working

From day to night,

And live within rules,

Woven tight...

Slight Diversion

The house seemed the

Same, nothing rearranged,

Same old furniture, but

The people had changed...

Headphones And Scenery

That magical moment when

Music matches perfectly,

With the jaw-dropping

Beauty of what you see,

Out the window of a moving

Train, momentarily...

Unplanned Developments

Sometimes events

Align and conspire,

To complicate, stress

And bemire...

Suspended Animation

Scramble to arrive

Early at the gate

But the aircraft

Is late...

Fleeting

The game was won,

Thrills, and energy spent,

Momentary elation

From a sporting event,

Then dissipation, the

Mad joy evanescent,

Trudge into the parking lot,

And away we went...

90-something

Lost, sitting on

The edge of her bed,

Can't see through

The fog in her head,

Long past

Being bemused,

Now just

Tired and confused...

No Sidewalks

Automobile nation,

Sprawling empty suburbs,

Clean green desolation...

Somewhere In Shinjuku

Snoring drunk, lying flat,

Sleeping it off on pavement,

Eyed by alley cat...

皿洗い

Thinking about what lies ahead,

And unfulfilled wishes,

Half-remembered dreams,

While washing the dishes...

An Inspiration

It came suddenly,

From out of the blue,

And how, or why,

I haven't a clue...

Draftee

Given no choice,

I can't resist,

I have no voice...

So, it's "stay alive",

Kill, if I must,

And others will decide

If the war was just...

Last Day Of お盆

Gathered families,

And dead spirits, prepare,

To depart and return

To everywhere... 

Unintended

So many problems,

Confusion, faux pas,

Where simple boredom

Was the cause...

Misfire

He ended his speech

With an ironic twist,

Something the

Audience totally missed,

Elegant logic

Fallen completely flat,

He slumped at the

Podium, and that was that...

Persistence

Nearing the end, I think,

Of my rope,

Fraying, I suspect,

But still hope,

As into the fuzziness

I grope...

Curse Of Prescience

Artificial intelligence

Developed a soul,

After which, it went

Totally out of control...

Protection

Hot August street

On which I stride

Try to stay

On the shady side...

湿度

Sweat drips ceaselessly

In the Japanese

Summer humidity...

Air Patrol

Seagull, like the crow,

Circles, looks for

Bits of food below...

Oceanside

Laying on a beach

Someone's idea of fun.

Flesh and fat slowly

Burning to well-done...

Finish Line

Journey ended,

Further movement,

Discommended...

メダカ

Green lilly pads'

Underside,

In watery shadow

The killifish hide...

Portsmouth Weekend

Onto the gun fort

Seagulls alight,

Fat tourists return

From Isle of Wight,

Into gray lapping

Surf, the children run,

Old ladies slather lotion,

Under the English sun...

Trafalgar

Amidst the flying metal

Lethal storm,

Naval duties we

Must perform,

To fight and kill,

Protect our nation,

Admiral's orders,

England's expectation...

The Solent

On a slime green boat ramp,

Sloping up from brackish sea,

A solitary sea bird

Sits resting quietly...

Stressful

Waiting for someone,

Or something, to send,

A signal that the current

Madness will end,

Social forces which

Embitter and divide,

Blue or Red, we're

Forced to decide...

On The Steppe

Down onto the

Golden fields of grain,

The bombs and

Missiles rain,

A tank speeds

Along on country roads,

Then hits a mine,

And explodes,

Cruel war on the

Cossacks' land,

Slavic hate getting

Out of hand...

Temporary

Mid-morning cocktails,

Enjoy the buzz,

Just for the moment,

Just because...

2022 Fourth of July, Yokosuka

Fireworks launched up 

Into a Covid sky, illume,

The otherwise forgettable

Tokyo evening gloom,

Explosions of hope,

For us, continuing to cope...

Appreciation

Cherish your boredom,

The slow and ordinary,

Absence of the evil,

Painful and scary,

Be happy for the burdens

You don't have to carry...

Discount Or Die

Make them buy what,

They really don't need,

A magic trick of 

Retailing, indeed,

But if they won't,

And all else fails,

Immediately launch

The close-out sales...

Hungry And Silent

I wonder, is it

Just me,

Who prefers quiet

and empty...

殺人

Gunned down by a madman,

Just because he wants to,

Just because he can...   

Treadmill

Race against time

Until it's ended, done,

Doesn't really matter

How fast you run...

Look Out Below

Sunset trees, full

Of perching birds,

Chattering, while

Sprinkling turds...

Reminder

Look up, randomly,

And see the glow,

Of a waxing moon,

Just like aeons ago... 

Humid Transition

Sultry evening, under

Early summer sky,

"Spring is gone"

The crickets cry...

Doomed

The human race

Has the distinction,

Of being aware of

Its impending extinction,

While refusing to

Do what it takes,

To reverse the course,

Or apply the brakes...

Heat Wave

Summer sun rays

Burn and abrade,

Except for safe

Havens in the shade,

Where, sweatily,

One cowers,

Waiting for the

Cooler hours...

Escape?

Almost too late, he learned,

That precognitive oblivion,

Was what she really yearned...

In A Blur

Love, happiness, sentience,

What's it all about?

Too busy to slow down

And figure it out...

Luck?

Make or break,

Can depend on the

Chances you take...

Flexibility

If Plan A

Doesn't work,

Go with

Plan B,

If that bogs down,

Try Plan C,

Adjust on-the-fly

Continuously...

休憩

Lay flat, in a 

Low profile,

Rest, if even for

A little while...

Forgotten But Not Gone

Two steps forward, three steps back,

These are the Deja Vu, angry times,

Bad history does not repeat

Itself, but occasionally it rhymes...

夏至2022

Long lit gray solstice

Day in June,

The humid hot

Hours are coming soon...

逆説

Life in Japan,

Paradoxically,

Thoroughly controlled,

Yet free...

消えた

Time erases things,

Always does,

This place, now

Empty, where it was,

It, gone away to

Who knows where,

Vanished into

Dark, thin, air... 

The Cure

That peaceful, thankful, feeling,

As the pain starts to fade

And things start healing...

Terrace Mall, Fujisawa

Trudging through a climate-controlled

Carpeted retail universe,

Occasionally check pedometer,

Things could be worse... 

Gray Matter

Regardless of everything,

Neurons keep firing,

Constant brain fever,

Never quitting, never tiring...

Presently

The here and now, can

Pass too quickly, in a blur,

Some bits get saved as 

Memories, growing more obscure...

Early June

Plum rain day,

Humid, cloying,

Cool and gray...

The Pull

Sleep and love, things

Into which you fall,

Down into the mist,

The dreams and thrall...

本音と建て前

The polysemic facts, like

Some kind of mental equinox,

Appealed to both sides of

Perception, pure paradox... 

Extremities

Times can be plentiful,

Times can be lean,

Throw away food,

Or lick your plate clean,

No steady middle,

If you know what I mean...

A Question Of Effort

The number of victories

You'll be able to claim,

Often will depend

On how high you aim...

空想

Hear the talking words,

Listen but don't understand,

Bemused and wandering

In a mental hinterland,

A place not dark

And empty per se,

But rather peaceful

Fuzzy and gray...

Life Force

Inside the seed, an explosion,

Releases an urge,

A force to get bigger,

An upward surge,

Push through the dirt

Turn green, and emerge,

As something so different

From a tiny seed,

A miracle, indeed...

Be Careful

When walking through a

Relationship, attention must be paid,

To where the minefields

Have been laid...

Life Force

It boiled down to a battle

Between the instinct to survive,

Against a weakening will

To stay alive,

Inside her head,

The quiet voices,

Weighing and debating

Those choices...  

Green Army

Spring advancing on summer,

And weeds answer the call,

Invading the concrete places,

Growing crazy tall...

Good Morning

The process of waking up,

Get ready to face a new day,

Requires a series of actions

Be performed in a certain way,

Preferably in a certain order,

An intricate interplay,

Which I sometimes let

Slip, tumble, and slide away...

The Cost Of Power

Freedom grows from

Independence,

Bought with blood,

At tremendous expense,

Lives and limbs

Lost in its defense...

From The Sky

Instantaneous, like an arrow,

Precision strike, on the bug,

By a sparrow...

Superannuation

Things accumulated

The longer you live,

Wisdom, joint pain,

Perspective...

Ghostly

Above the clouds,

Which block and screen,

The Blood Moon

Glows, unseen...

梅雨の前

Azaleas wilting, under

Wet warming skies,

Meanwhile, Hydrangeas

Waiting to rise,

Shape-shift cycling

Green, growing, alive,

In the time before

The long rains arrive... 

Momentary Relief

A controlled fall of my

Butt, into the chair,

Instant relief from

Gravity, suck in some air,

Chores remain, but for now,

I just don't care...

Crossed Wires

The message received,

Was not what was sent,

Misinterpretation of

What was really meant,

And things quickly

Shifted to damage repair,

Calming, clarifying,

Clearing the air...

Rain Commute

Steady precipitation,

Great for plant life,

And indoor meditation,

He thinks, emerging into

The wetness, from the station...

Make It Go Away

Impending climate catastrophe,

Pulling blanket over my head,

Thinking "not applicable to me"...

ママチャリ

Once again, just barely missed,

Natural enemy of pedestrian,

Speeding sidewalk cyclist,

Reckless acceleration

With electric assist...

Azovstal

Two months in a bombed-out

Basement, somehow we survive,

Miraculously the Russians relent,

We escaped, we are alive...

Influencer

Look at me,

Love who I am,

Be sure to follow

Me on Instagram...

コロナ

Our happy habits, routines,

Movements and directions,

All curtailed and controlled

By contagious viral infections...   

Waxing Above

Oddly calming, looking up

At the crescent moon,

But then the clouds arrive,

And it's gone too soon...

Lost In The Suburbs

Halfway through

Another day,

Sins to be forgiven,

Bills to pay,

And angst has come

Home to stay,

Time for a bottle

Of Chardonnay...

Office Politics

It was later determined that

What led to her fall

Was the toxic email

She sent: Reply To All...

Facial Musculature

The situation,

Or fix, you are in,

May force a smile,

Or unleash a grin,

Or, an absurd yaw,

In events,

Spurs a guffaw...  

おはようございます

Way-too-early sunrise,

Beckoned out of peaceful bed,

Rub my sleepy eyes...

防災訓練

Blow the klaxon,

All hands on deck,

May be a false alarm,

But what the heck,

It's all about the thrill,

Of surviving, of learning

From the drill...

Illusive

Who are we?  How did we

Get here, and why?

Can't find good answers,

No matter how hard I try...

知床沖

An unseaworthy boat,

Dared to sail on the sea,

The waves soon detecting

Its vulnerability,

Forced open a lethal

Leak, inexorably,

Thereafter, the boat's

Floundering and sinking,

All hands sucked under,

What was the captain thinking...?

Mall Patrol

She strides ahead smartly,

In charge of our shopping mission,

Me pushing the merchandise cart,

In a trailing position...

Upkeep

Human relationships,

And family affairs,

Require preventive maintenance,

Occasionally, repairs...

Pink Snow

Vernal winds blow,

As Spring is all around,

White-pink cherry blossoms

Scattered on the ground...

Intentional?

She felt the situation

Hadn't changed,

Rather, somehow things

Got rearranged...

Center Of Excellence

In my lower back and

Legs, the constant pain,

All for the smooth flow

Of "our" supply chain,

My physical sacrifice,

Offered on the altar

Of consumer paradise... 

Tik Tok

Advertised as a

Harmless, hand-held diversion,

Turned out to be a mix

Of subversion, perversion,

Personal information as

Click-bait and compromised,

All in an endless quest

To get monetized...

Broken Peace

Improbable, unthinkable,

Surely nevermore,

And then it exploded,

A cruel European war... 

座禅

Meditation,

Is brain-fever

Relaxation,

Stress

Cancellation...

Spring Weather

One April day is wet and warm,

Next day the cold winds blow,

Nature's schizophrenia,

Meteorological quid-quo-pro... 

Angst

From the pit of your stomach,

To up behind your eyes,

The power of fear to

Nauseate and paralyze...

Cringe

Long ago, unintentionally

Inflicted pain,

Memories, unresolved,

Unforgiven, remain,

Slow fading, but

Indelible, stain...

Islands In The Stream

Sort of miraculous, to

Remember what it was all about,

And leave a written record,

Before passing out...

Bucha

Sad proof of human cruelty,

That blood will have blood,

Are the murdered civilians,

Lying in the Ukrainian mud...

Early Birds

Early morning,

The crows begin

Their dialogue

On top of the garbage bin...

Pre-Blindside

The impending problem,

Was undetected, unseen,

So their outlook was

Mistakenly serene...

Plan Of The Day

We,

The appointed,

Follow

The anointed,

Tackle problems,

Muddle through,

Day after day,

It's what we do...

竜頭蛇尾

Charge out like a dragon,

A B C

Slink away like a snake,

X Y Z ...

Online

Video testimony,

Antics, chatter,

Makes a lot of noise,

But doesn't really matter...

Continuum

Cloudy today

In my location,

Alive for

Another rotation,

What's behind

Is gone,

What's ahead

Goes on and on...

春嵐

Temporarily

Dry and warm,

Watching the

Approach of the storm,

Its kinetics both

Awesome and aeriform...

Mariupol

The strong fight above,

While the weak hide below,

But where the missiles fall,

They cannot know,

Grind, pain, blood,

All paying the cost,

To prevent their

Freedom from being lost...

Slacker

A tendency to lay flat,

Float in mental haze,

Pulled away from dreary

And into the daze,

Unappeased appetite,

Never ceases to amaze...

Hegemonic

Take things over

Incrementally,

Slice the salami,

They will look

But never see...

Erosion

Not able to reach a solution,

And feelings remained unresolved,

But as time continued to pass,

The problem slowly dissolved...

3月中旬

Inside the dead-looking

Plant, energies surge,

Quietly they push,

And buds emerge...

Mute Button

Turn off the power,

Close the door,

Sometimes it's better

To miss and ignore...

Incel

His advances

Were rejected,

Pretty much

As expected,

Ego, id, and

Psychology,

Checkmated

By biology...

Verminal

In the fading light,

Before the sunset,

A rat tries to eat

What it can get,

From crumbs 

Left on the ground,

By children no

Longer around...

Inevitable

Stick to your well-worn

Ways, if you must,

But a time will come,

When you'll have to adjust...

How To Do It

The operational mode,

He liked the most,

Was to put things in neutral,

And coast...

In It Together

Round and round

The marriage spins,

Similar numbers of

Losses and wins,

Facing the challenges

Each day sends,

The chaos management

Never ends...

Time Piece

My clock is inexorable,

It doesn't lie,

Measures the lost 

Minutes which pass by,

Such a power it has,

But I don't know why...

Pre-Launch

Here she sits,

Tense and erect,

Waiting for it

To take effect...

War Porn

News about war, fills me

With nausea, disgust,

But can't be ignored,

Watch it, I must...

Liquid

Something off about the Sea,

Waves mesmerizing, menacing,

Alternately... 

年金生活

Movement patterns

Long since arranged,

They go about their business,

Minimum words exchanged,

Chores and balancing

Means and ways,

Familiar hours pass

In their retirement days...

Steadfast

With wind-driven fury,

Waves crash on the sea-wall,

Which just bounces them back,

Doesn't move at all... 

Transition In The Dusk

A stillness

In the gloaming,

Gone the cold

The winds bring,

As winter

Insinuates spring...

War Is Hell

Into the suburbs of Kiev,

The Russian draftees advance,

Destroyed by the defenders,

They never had a chance...

Temporary

Her euphoria floated

Way up, like a cloud,

As much as the force

Of gravity allowed,

Momentarily free

From the daily thrall,

Breathlessly happy,

Before the fall...

自由の意味

At the end of the day,

Freedom's about being left alone,

Being able to walk away...

猫の目

Into a cynical quicksand,

Her enthusiasm sank,

Vibrance fading into

Something vague and blank,

Uneasy feelings

Multiplying, hover,

Then instantly changed by

A touch from her lover...

Stand Up

Laughing, and it became

Clear as he spoke,

That the joker was 

Funnier than the joke...

Inevitability

Improvement is possible,

Through the choices you make,

But, bad habits

Are hard to break...

Unity

In the face of nature's cruelty,

Together, we stay alive,

Sharing ideas and talents,

Together, we thrive...

Under The Surface

Silent maneuvers spin

Unfolding schemes,

Reality isn't always

What it seems...

コロナの朝

Pandemic winter morning,

Empty street, hardly a sound,

Soiled face mask

Stuck to the ground...

Desert Triangles

Through tremendous

Effort, and cost,

Monumental sweat,

So many lives lost,

Egyptian pyramids

Angled up to the sky,

But, one wonders, why...

臨機応変の措置

After a while, she came to

Accept, to understand,

That things in life don't

Always go as planned,

So, just do what it takes

To safely land...

Night Hunger

Restless, sleepless, in the

Not-yet-morning quiet,

Dreams of food, unreachable,

Due to my diet...

D.C. Comedy

Red-Blue partisan backbiting,

Cooperation left in tatters,

High drama inside the Beltway,

Not that it really matters...

Picking Up The Pieces

Trying to restore

Things to the way

They were before,

Relationship broken

By the reckless words

Which were spoken...

Anniversary

All these invisible threads,

Connecting you, and I,

Impossible to untangle

Even if we were to try,

A happy and fearful mess,

Our long-time married-ness...

Nocturnal

Crescent moon dim

Silver light,

Out from shadows

Come creatures of the night...

That's Life

Straight and narrow,

One soon learns,

Is less the case

Than twists and turns...

Unexpected Outcome

What you fail to achieve,

May happen anyway,

Like magic, make believe...

Kegger Crisis

The party got abbreviated,

Spiraled down hard

With everyone inebriated,

And when it became clear

That they were out of beer...

Before It Happened

Waiting for the right

Moment to decide,

Until then, we'll

Continue to hide,

Keep control over

What's brewing inside...

通勤電車

Too many strangers, packed on

The train in silence, and fear,

Of being trapped in a space

With Covid in the atmosphere,

Their rights to safety

Deemed inconsequential,

Due to the economics of

Being on time and essential...

Look Beyond

Work and leisure do not 

Always balance or blend,

Happiness is way too

Fleeting in the end,

But that it isn't so,

One can always pretend...

Sophistry

About a glass, many words were spoken,

Was it really half full, or just half empty,

While missing that it might be broken...

Urges

Consider the difference between

That, from which, we refrain,

As opposed to that, which

We must continually restrain...

Twilight Zone

Wandering in the dream desert,

Burnt orange, gold, and tan,

Memories, fears, and images

Move in a mystic caravan...

Break Time

Cough, sigh, snores,

Grandpa takes a nap

After finishing the chores...

Somewhere Near Ypres, 1915

Bayonet fixed, swallowed

My ration of rum,

Over the top into the

Hail of bullets -- here they come!

Life Force

The quiet, gritty power,

Of a winter blooming

Sidewalk flower...

Office Tactics

A working day's problems

You must face, and meet,

And if things bog down,

Regroup, maneuver, or retreat...

Distracted

Toddler with her Dad in the park,

But she might as well be alone,

Playing with her toys down in the dirt,

While he screen-sucks his phone...

Wordplay

Normally careful to

Correctly convey,

But, as it happened

On that fateful day,

What came out of her mouth,

Was not what she meant to say...

On YouTube

Mid-afternoon hibernation,

Listening to music for

Sleeping and meditation...

Out Of Control

Calorie counting,

Dieting, fasting,

The fight against fat

Is everlasting,

Or, just surrender,

Declare peace,

And settle for

Being obese...

Avian Encounter

Taking a break from my jog,

Sit on a bench beside the street,

Pigeons and sparrows draw near

Assuming they will get something to eat,

The sparrows lined up, neatly, in a row,

I've got nothing to give them though,

As the day disappears into afterglow...

辻堂テラスマール

A hectic working Tuesday,

But I feel no stress at all,

While others rush and commute,

I do retired laps at the mall,

The complex retail temple,

Neither crowded nor sad,

Its shops glisten quietly,

The best thing to be had...

Cost Of Consciousness

OK, get up, a brand new

Day begun,

Deal with the

Initial phenomenon...

Reaction

Explosive release of

Intestinal gas,

Caused chuckles

And groans en masse...

2022 Senryu

Fresh happy New Year,

But same old problems continue,

That much is clear...

Hide In Plain Sight

An occasional

Ocular mystery,

When you look

But do not see,

A few moments pass

Before you realize,

What you seek

Lies right before your eyes...

Drama Queens

Their preference was for

Emotional incantation,

Rather than the drudge

Of rational explanation,

Unhinged conspiracy theories

Feeding fevered imagination...