お盆

Ancestors spirits descend,

Guided by the soft light

Of welcoming paper lanterns

Hung out at night,

By those left behind,

Who live and yearn

For their long lost

Loved ones to briefly return...

Cyclonic

Another heat wave humid day,

Typhoon breeze arrives from south,

And a weather reset gets underway...

Righteousness

Gave in, partially,

To the demand,

Grudgingly accept,

But refuse to understand,

Integrity not fungible,

Or subject to command...

Terminal Phase

The slow-grind of old age,

Unavoidable, unforgiving,

Diapers, some dementia,

Assisted living,

Each trip to the toilet

A battle in a war,

Of a fight against not

Existing anymore...

Out Of Control

In cases where you

Can't escape or hide,

Just go with the flow,

Float along with the tide,

Do your best, and

Let the fates decide...

Media Mayhem

Nowadays, the truth is not 

Broadcast on the TV news,

Rather, finger pointing,

Dramatic opposing views,

And if you agree or

Compromise, you lose...

And the winner, it seems,

Is the one who emits

The loudest screams...         

Appearances

Looking at the geezer,

Seems boring and old,

Then I see his ear pierced

With 3 rings of gold... 

Refuge

Heat stressed citizens,

One and all,

Flee to the

Air-conditioned shopping mall…

戦争

Once started, how

Will a war end...

Perhaps when there're

No more bullets to expend...?

Or when warriors tire

Of dealing with deadly fire...

Temporary Truce

Fresh morning coffee,

Precious moments of peace,

Before daily chaos resumes,

And the quiet times cease...

Treadmill

Endlessly we

Grind and strive,

Before our various

Deadlines arrive...

ちびっ子

Not much

Quiet and mild

Comes from a

Two-year-old child... 

真夏

Early morning

Buzz-cries of cicadas greet,

Another day of

Summer's heat...  

Departed

93 years later, our country girl mother,

Departed and laid to rest,

We, her children, and friends

Touched by her love and blessed,

Her gentle spirit soothed us

Through all the lows and highs,

She nurtured all through her kitchen,

With meals, buns, and pies,

Mom always read, with deep

Interest in the world of words,

At the same time taking delight

In watching backyard birds,

Now you are gone, and we

Are filled with sadness, regret,

But your graceful, giving soul,

We will never, ever, forget...

Old & Redundant

Rather than up,

Forced to move out,

Randomly replaced

Total rout,

Human resources kill,

Without a doubt...

X-Files

Little Green Men,

And UFOs,

Lurking around...

Who really knows?

No More VHS

Our couch-laden addiction,

Continually streaming

Video works of fiction...

Crossed Wires

Message received,

Not what was sent,

Have no clue

Where the original went,

Claim ignorance

In any event...

Lessons

One soon learns

That life's road is

Full of twists and turns,

What shines

Sometimes burns...

Sharp

Decisive,

Like a machete cuts,

No ifs, ands,

Or buts...