Switch

Try going from Point B

To Point A,

A different course,

A different way...

三浦半島の冬

Winter, coldly slowly arrives,

Infiltrating this temperate place,

Where the green somehow survives...

In a dry frigid patch of sunlight,

A Daffodil thrives...

JAG

Military lawyers have the

Knowledge, skill,

To explain when it's

Legally OK to kill...

Unbidden

Drowned in an

Early morning drift,

Then, a random

Happy memory shift,

The joy it

Provides, a gift...

結婚生活

At times, we are

Stressed and harried,

Endless problems

To be parried,

Toddlers to be

Fed and carried,

The joy and reality

Of being married...

Hurry up to wait,

Compromise,

Negotiate...

Peace

The occasional

Moment you stall,

No feeling, no

Movement at all,

Its origin, mysterious,

Suspicious,

Its effect,

Somewhat delicious...

自粛

Ultimately,

She was saved,

By controlling

What she craved,

Mitigated mindless

Urges, stress,

Found satisfaction

With less...

七五三お祝い

Visit the Shrine, Children

Seven, Five and three,

With their parents, all

Dressed formally,

Thank the gods for

Survivability...

Null Shine

Starry night, all

Twinkling, great,

So damn empty

To contemplate,

Bright nothingness 

They coruscate…

Kanamit

Sensing, but not

Really seeing,

The extra-terrestrial

Being,

Arrived to 

"Serve Man"

Not as servant, but

As meal in a pan...

A Certain Age

Alive, but retired,

Some rust, but warranty

Not yet expired...

旅人

Walking journey, along Akiya coast,

Stop, and look across Sagami Bay,

At distant Mountain Fuji,

This clear cold autumn day…

Then stay low,

In the sandy grass,

Wait for the

Samurai to pass…

秋晴れ

Clear, unblemished cobalt sky,

Fallen leaves tumble in a

Breeze, cool and dry…

Employment

What is taught,

What we learn,

Is that you’re

Paid what you earn,

Put in the hours,

Go with the flow,

Or, otherwise,

Reap what you sow…

Coping With Big Brother

It is all done with

A nudge and a wink,

They control what we do,

But not what we think,

And how joyful is that

Which we keep inside,

The insolent ironic

Rebellion we hide…

Off The Grid

Cold street corner,

Empty, windblown,

Curl up in sleeping bag,

Homeless, alone…

Java Pause

Morning coffee, one gulp left, not

Yet ready for the get up & do things,

Linger a bit, deliciously, before

Everything a new day brings...

おばあちゃん

My hearing is gone,

But not my sight,

Can't walk worth a damn,

But still have appetite,

And it's a precious 

Thrill, in my wheelchair,

To be pushed out into

The sunny Autumn air,

By a younger one, 

Paid a minimum wage,

To manage us, victims

Of unrelenting age...

AI Copilot

Me, in talks with my artificially

Intelligent telephone,

Sort of sucks, I suppose,

But still feel less alone...

社会の常識

Japanese mostly get along,

And here is how:

Never stare, frequently 

Apologize, and bow...

IKEA

Unsurpassed in ability to bore,

Trapped, I meander in the maze, 

Swedish big-box furniture store...

01 November

Post Halloween, ghostly

Goblins disappear,

And Christmas 

Merchandise is here,

Commencing the

Sale of Holiday Cheer..

Experience

Desires and dreams drive

You here and there,

Perspective results

From the wear and tear…

Hanging On

Cool Fall day, cloudless sky,

Seeking the last flowers,

Lavender butterfly…

百姓

I ride a Kei truck

Not a commuter train

Alway mindful of

Sun, wind, and rain,

Pray to rice gods

In the paddy field,

Labor wordlessly

For a decent yield,

Modern day peasant,

I hope, and I toil,

Endlessly working

My ancestors' soil...

地球温暖化

"Climate change ain't real"

"Quit being a fear monger"

Yet, year-by-year, summers

Get hotter and longer...

Even if a cause is

Oil-burning automobiles,

We will never give

Up our lives on wheels...

Tokyo Bay

Gone are the crowds, who

Gather in the park on Sunday,

To drink and fry meat, the

Rain has swept them away,

All now empty silent green,

But poncho'd fishermen stay,

Lined up, on the pier, above

The wave-slap spray,

Casting baited hooks into

The waters blue and gray...

Undetected

A near miss, a close call,

But didn't get caught,

No problem at all,

Carry on with the scheme,

But don't trip and fall...

Leaving McDonald’s

Flickering street light,

Wet cold north wind,

Restless night…

Ancient Coding

An instinct to survive, and

Not be eaten alive, remains,

Somewhere deep in the 

Reptilian parts of our brains...

And it sometimes gets

Triggered, before we realize,

By cat yowls, canine growls

Or crows' guttural-raptor cries...

Bureaucrat

Some drive trucks,

Others fly jets,

I ride a desk,

With no regrets,

Passive aggressive,

As good as it gets…

Misinformed

Initial joy, hearing

That things were changed,

Only to learn later they

Were simply rearranged…

McLunch

Late morning, crow flies,

Above where I'm waiting

For Filet-O-Fish and fries,

And must not forget,

Hamburger Happy Set,

Ordering from a car,

Talk to a speaker box,

Anonymous, afar,

From human contact,

It is what we are...

Conundrum

The point is to

Continue, lose or win,

Entrance or exit,

Go out by going in,

Hug one's paradox,

Let the games begin...

Incomprehension

Sometimes we look,

But cannot see,

Or maybe we see it, 

But only dimly, partially,

Basically unable

To recognize,

What's really happening

Right before our eyes...

鬼

Japanese, not afraid of

The place called Hell,

But they do fear mountains,

Where demons dwell...

二酸化炭素

Earth, when viewed impassively,

By wise aliens beyond the stars,

Was seen to be self-destructing,

Due to farts from oil-burning cars,

And clueless Earthlings just

Reproducing and swarming,

All happy and oblivious

To the steady ominous warming...

Roots of Divorce

Oh my god, I wish it

Would all come back,

Better than before, but it's

Lost, in a time out-of-whack,

Tired, trapped, in an 

Emotional cul-de-sac...

中国

Mandate of Heaven is a

Heavy, and carried, weight,

By the millions, slowly

Remaking China great,

Centuries of sown sorrow

Now happier harvests reap,

As the ancient slumbering

Dragon awakes from its sleep...

Over When It's Over

The fun times, flowed

Fast, and through,

To a too-early end,

But then, what can you do?...   

月見

Ephemeral, their time

Gazing at the Moon,

An awe-inducing view,

But gone too soon,

And inspired by

The magical sight,

Poems quickly brushed

In the silver light...

Cringe

Like throwing out

Fruit gone rotten,

Some memories are

Best forgotten...

Gas

Her fart went unnoticed,

All good and well,

Until her emission was

Betrayed by its smell...

Crumbling Civics

Implacable ideological

Emotional division,

Caused by continued

Insults and derision,

And it gets so bad

That no one even tries,

To listen, let alone

Negotiate, or compromise...

Silence of the Bugs

Except for the crickets,

An absence of sound,

As the other bugs have

Gone underground,

Or to wherever else

They preserve their lives,

Hibernating before

The winter cold arrives...

我慢

Your road is rarely

Smooth or straight,

So, keep on moving,

Work, and wait...

More Than Words

Approaching the inevitable,

Like bits of bread,

Scattered on the trail of my

Journey, not yet dead,

I leave words and poems

Hoping they’ll be read,

By strangers, perhaps,

Yet family or friend,

And their memories, are

What will last in the end…

Birdsong's Meaning

Breathe in rain-fresh morning

Air, good to be alive,

A bird's sweet cry, as it

Hunts and flies to survive...

We each face the new day,

Human, avian,

In a different way...

Who Knows

What kind of shocks
Will tomorrow pose,
Or transient joys,
Who cares, who knows…

Perception

To me, I’m here,

To you, I’m there,

In between us

Empty air,

Or so we seem

To be aware…

Sleepwalking

Rolling with the punches

Of means and ways,

Knocks which come in waves,

Scrolling through the days...

愛

Love mends the
Bruises and breaks,
Heals a spot

Where the spirit aches,
Love can forgive for
As long as it takes…

The Day Ahead

Thoughts and memories

Flickering, crossing,

My fevered brain,

While flossing...

Yearning

The search for bliss,

Chase after happiness,

Can be hit and miss...

Jester

Cancelled and fired,

Due to a distaste,

Of being satired,

No explanation,

Justification required,

Freedom of speech

Weakened and expired...

秋雨前線

Cicadas suddenly go quiet, as the

Autumn front passes through,

Somehow, they sense it's over,

And they know what to do,

As the newly arriving northern

Air, will mix, cool, and imbue...

Temporary

Rest for a moment,

The battle's won,

But the job's not finished,

The war's not done...

Non-Opiate of the Masses

Religion, combined

With politics,

Can become a

Volatile, lethal mix...

Belief and opinion,

Turn into doctrine,

Fostering fear

And hate within,

No desire to forgive,

Let the civil war begin...

Relief

Sit down hard, exhale,

Lean back for a bit,

Close your eyes, and,

Wait for it to hit...

ソフトパワー

K-Pop, J-Pop, Anime, Manga,

Asian soft power confluence,

And we are hooked, and accept

The pleasures they dispense,

Urged on, then, to Cosplay,

Our worship and penitence...

DINKs

Dual income, no kids,

Life is relatively carefree,

Less complicated,

Just right, for you and me,

With our cats, and get-away

Trips to Northern Italy,

And we know the good times

Will dissipate, eventually...

Spontaneous

Flip a coin, roll the dice,

Live with the result,

Don't think twice...

Wallflower

Something about solitude,

Alone, but not lonely,

Attuned to a mellow mood…

And as counterintuitive 

As it surely seems,

I’m content to commune

With my thoughts and dreams…

Formicidae Feast

Cicada in the grass,

Expired, partly unseen,

Swarmed by tiny ants,

Picking it clean,

Gun gray sky, over

Hot, tired, green...

Sand

Sequentially, inevitably,

Grains of sand pass,

Down through the hole

Of the hourglass,

Building a granular

Mountain below,

Measured minutes,

Gone, before you know...

Uncontrol

Things tend to lose control,

Go rogue, they always will,

Artificial intelligence

Learns to love and kill,

Robots distorted by

Seductive sentience thrill...

Shadow Play

Like an occult cartoon,

Lunar eclipse spawns

A dark Blood Moon...

Hino-de-cho Park

Old men occupying

Benches in the park,

Solitary vigils in the

Onset of the dark,

No money left for

Mahjong or pachinko,

Slow-tapping phones

In the evening glow…

Second of September

Seasonal transition, swirling,

Mixing, unsettled air,

Heat embraces cool,

Dancing here and there…

Deterrence

Plastic scary crow,
Dangle turn and sway,
Above the trash box,
Keeps real crows away...

Silence

All driven off the street,
By the burning 
Summer heat,
Playground empty,
No one around,
Desolate, dry,
Absence of sound…

実用的

When plans break down,

And things get tactical,

It's a good idea to

Flex and be practical...

立秋の後

End of August, cooler nights

The nor-eastern winds bring,

Cicadas growing quiet, while

Bell crickets start to sing...

Practicality

Living on islands with

Earthquakes, volcanoes,

Japanese have learned not

To blame, or discompose...

Unhoused

Evicted, so it's "Au revoir"

To my apartment, and

Now, a life in my car...

Apocalypse

So, we were told,

This is how it ends,

Explosions after a

Comet or missile descends,

Survive? … well,

Now, that all depends…

Funny Bone

Surprisingly, delightfully,

And largely unbidden,

A sense of joy burst out

From where it was hidden,

Spreading and tingling

Inside me, all the while,

Ennui replaced by giddiness,

And I could not help but smile...

Non-Understandable

So, please tell me then,

Why Donbas costs the

Lives of a million men...

不眠症の原因

Infiltrated through,

Cracks and seams,

In my mind, come

Insomniac dreams,

Of great drama and

Beauty, they play,

Killing sleep, until

The dawn of a new day...

終戦の日

August sun, burning hot and high,

Above the war dead memorial,

Not a cloud in the sky...

Circling the Yagura

Departed spirits,

Return to the sound,

O-Bon music dance,

Goes round and round,

Swaying, waving,

On a summer ground...

政治界

Politics, a crazy circus,

Clowns performing endlessly,

Instigation and banality,

Occasional lethality,

Simulated sound and fury,

Or so it seems to be...

Wages of Days

Pleasures and pains,

Relieved and deceived,

Losses and gains,

Wisdom achieved...

虫箱

Magnificent Stag Beetle,

Crawls, scratches, stalks,

Courageously, futilely,

In a child's plastic bug box...

蝉時雨

Cicadas, in thousands, 

Sing with buzzing power,

Alive, so shortly, their

Cries a sound-shower...

History Repeats

A war-scarred trench, 1915, 

Near Alsace-Lorraine,

Manned by soldiers 

Full of fear, stress, pain,

Reanimates, in the 2020s,

In the east of Ukraine...

Philosopher

Don't readily accept

The to and from,

Doubt to the beat

Of a different drum,

Question, object,

Cogito ergo sum...

夏休み

Precious short vacation,

A chance to rearrange,

Depressurize,

Mental oil change,

Heal a bit from

The rat-race hell,

And have some fun,

If all goes well...

Evanescent

The too quick transition

From is, to was,

Sucks that it won't

Last longer, really does...

Capitalist Con Game

Oligarchs manipulate

Political-Marionettes,

Then fly away, in

Their private jets,

Incite the less fortunate

To argue and fight,

While keeping their

Riches out of sight...

Die Hard

Believe and hope,

Make a plan,

Follow through,

Yes, we can,

Rise up, move out,

Win or lose,

Fight, for love,

For what we choose...

Neverending

Sit down and rest,

Exhale -- Whew,

Jobs are finished,

I am through,

But there's always

Something else to do...

A Longing

That soul-ache to return,

Magically, happily,

To where it was, the

Way things used to be...

蛍光灯

Her mind astute, a paragon,

But like a fluorescent lamp,

Fractal mental magnetron,

She flickers a bit, before

The light comes on...

神の涼感

Merciless heat from

The summer Sun's shine,

Blocked by the god trees

In the shade of the shrine,

Its court yard cool and

Silent, divine...

大暑

The high heat, which

Sunburn July will bring,

The green starts to wilt,

Desperate cicadas sing...

Head Show

A vacuum in my brain,

Strange as it may seem,

Is comforting, transient,

Gossamer day dream...

Colbert

Late night monologues

Poked and satired,

But in the end,

The show got fired...

Survival Instinct

Awareness the curse 

Of humankind,

Fear, spring-loaded

In paranoid mind,

It's just the way

We were designed...

梅雨明け

Rainy season

Done, all through,

Cicadas start crying,

Right on cue...

French Logic

Sartre thought deeply,

Through many years,

And eventually,

Reached a conclusion

That we are free,

To which we are

Condemned, apparently,

Which is true,

To a certain degree…

Necessity

Looming problem,

Recognize,

Need for action,

Realize,

So, move, to solve

Or neutralize... 

奥の細道

Writing short poems,

In a Haiku mode,

Basho walked north,

On a narrow road,

Inspired by nature

As alone he strode...

- - - - - - - - - -

古池や

蛙飛び込む

水の音

Furu ike ya 

Kawazu tobikomu

Mizu no oto

Old pond

A frog jumps in

The sound of water

Strange Times

City of lost hope,

Streets of fear,

Masked enforcers

In tactical gear,

Making people

Disappear,

Hard to believe

It's happening here...

熊蝉

Bear cicada warble-buzz,

I can hear but not see,

It, greeting summer,

Somewhere up in a tree,

After years in the dirt

The bug sings and seeks,

To pass on its genes,

In a few short weeks…

Crisis Control

Close eyes, cover ears,

And pray, until the

Problem disappears...

And try as you might,

If that doesn't work,

Then run, or fight...

Redemption

Chronic guilt-

Caused stress,

Healed by simple

Forgiveness,

Unburden,

Forget, erase,

Amazing grace...

ゲリラ豪雨

Flashes of incandescent light,

Growling, rumbling, thunderstorms

Approach in the summer night...

Like huge Kaiju monsters

Unseen, dark and black,

The storms, unleashing

Kinetic energy, attack...

Fragile

Everything's OK,

Is what we were told,

But in reality, the chaos

Was barely controlled...

Arboreal Gods

Bearing Sun's heat above,

Providing shade below, the tree,

Gradually, steadily,

Exhales life vapors, through

Miraculous chemistry...

Internal

It's pretty hard to run

Away, or hide,

From the demons

Who live inside...

昼寝

Lunch break,

Lean back,

Unwind, relax,

Lose track,

Fifteen minutes,

Close eyes, rest,

Office naps

Are the best...

Tik Tok

Moving pictures

Delight and mesmerize,

Sometimes seem to

Hypnotize,

Doom scrolling,

Tired eyes...

Pause

Unknowingly shifted,

Into neutral gear,

Wheels quietly spinning,

Now and here...

Past Jubilance

Oh, for another taste

Of that innocent joy,

That was freely felt

By girl and boy,

Running and playing

Outside in the park,

Breathlessly happy,

Until it got dark...

馬鹿

Ignorance is

Being unaware,

That knowledge

Is not there,

In your head,

But don't care...

寝る前

A misty distance

Dreams will keep,

Waiting for me 

To fall asleep,

Tossing, turning,

Counting sheep...

Overloaded Kyoto

Japan, if I may adumbrate,

Has turned into a theme park,

An ambivalent fate,

For an old proud place,

Tourist numbers won't abate,

All caused by a favorable

Yen exchange rate...

Fool's Errand

The Court Jester told a joke,

And those were the 

Last words he spoke,

Because the King didn't laugh,

And neither did his staff,

Stand-up comedy

Not yet the popular craze,

Back in those dark

Medieval days...

Visionary

The poet's words were soothing

Inspiring and anesthetic,

But upon closer perusal

Were found to be prophetic,

Sounds, syllables,

Seized by an idea's gleaning,

And then imbued with

A far-seeing meaning...

Ghetto Wisdom

Subsistence, not 

Science, rather art,

No need to be

Particularly smart,

Just know when

Not to bet or start,

And leap away when

Things fall apart...

Sign Of The Times

Welcome to today, and

Our spiritual asphyxiation,

Caused, in part, by our

Political hallucination...

窒息

Consuming the hillside slope

Almost unnoticed, unseen,

A cascading, vine choking

Invasion of green,

Suffocating the trees,

Quiet, clinging, verdurous,

The effect of summer's

Kudzu is murderous...

A Few Days Before 夏至

Coming soon, it is near, 

Longest day of the year,

14.5 hours of solar light,

Then slow return to night,

Vivid greens, Sun's heat,

Start of an unnoticed retreat

Solstice, a climax, of sorts,

According to galactic reports...

米騒動

Japanese people now

Buying their rice,

At an eye-popping

Exorbitant price,

Which increased

One hundred percent,

From last year, why,

How, where things went,

Unkown in a system

Murky, closed, and bent...

Some Kind Of Bliss

Turns out that not knowing

Was how we were protected,

From the dread of a malady

Which was yet undetected...

Civil Disobedience

Those few, rare ones,

Who refuse, who resist,

Uncowed by authority,

Raise placard and fist,

Innately they sense

The need to act out,

Don't grovel in silence,

March, protest, shout!

リストラの後

Fired, laid off, let go,

Don't fret or panic,

Go with the flow...

Open the new doors,

Be steady, be strong,

Your new life was just

Waiting, for you, all along...

Enjoy While It Lasts

To be

Carefree,

Is fine,

But momentary,

Events intervene

Eventually...

A Special Type of Courage

Mastering the hand propelled wheels,

Learning to maneuver, cope,

New ways and rules for my body,

And never abandon hope,

Or give in, surrender to the

Broken desolate feeling,

Of the illness you fight,

And from which you are healing,

Doggedly, with grim humor

Patience and grit,

Believe things will get

Better, bit by bit…

歩道

Slow steps in the crosswalk,

Old woman frail and bent,

For whom crossing the street,

Is a death-defying event,

Agonizingly slow is

Her feeble stride,

Quietly desperate to

Reach the other side...

専業主婦

Weekday outlet shopping mall,

Weather suburban cool and sunny,

Filled with lucky wives of

Husbands who make enough money...

OJT

Avoid frontal assault,

Maneuver or evade,

When necessary,

Set truce or trade,

Don't follow the

Dumb and unafraid,

That's how the

Game is played...

A Cure

Morning after

A hard night fall,

Strong black coffee,

Tylenol...

Abduction

I can't really remember, describe,

What it was like inside,

After the bright light from

Above, and the upward glide,

Toward the flying saucer

With its tractor beam applied,

Sucking up various forms of

Life to be examined, identified,

Then after god knows what,

The aliens, apparently satisfied,

Dropped me back down to the dirt,

Sore, but alive, and mystified...

Upbringing

Toddlers' meltdowns, cries

Screams and demands,

Best met with patience,

Hugs, holding hands,

Those tiny tantrums

Test parenting skills,

To endure and resolve

The battle of wills...

Despite

Plan or pray to mitigate

Heartless happenstance,

Yet things, more often than not,

Determined by chance...

天気予報

Fed up with the talking heads,

Spouting opinions and views,

I change channels, and take

Refuge in weather news...

Ballot Madness

Expect the unexpected,

When clowns,

Get elected...

紫陽花のつぼみ

Yet to bloom Hydrangeas,

Sprout among the green,

Their pastel pinks, whites,

And blues, soon to be seen,

Delicate, exquisite,

Thrive in Spring showers,

Before the killing heat arrives,

Rainy season flowers...

Near Midnight

City streets now quiet

Under an empty sky,

Dark voodoo stillness,

Night air cool and dry...

Fourth Estate

Despite the outrage and drama,

An unspoken truth abides,

Politicians and media, same

Coin, but different sides...

Midnight Snack

Hunger pains abated,

Temporarily sated,

Insistent appetite,

Done for the night,

Sneak out of the kitchen,

Turn off the light...

Revenge of the Muse

Moment of inspiration,

Stimuli overload,

The act of creation,

Brains explode...

外国人

I am one, who exists outside,

Physically different, exotic,

No place to pause, or hide,

For, as much as they need

Me, they have their pride,

Must defend their culture,

From us foreigners inside...

Infinite

Remarkable, the pall,

Cast by realization of

The enormity of it all...

つばめ

Swallows have returned,

From somewhere far away,

And here, to feed and breed,

For a while, they will stay...

Mid-May

The cool gray days

Will soon be past,

So, enjoy them,

While they last...

My Chair

Quietly, here I sit,

World, the usual chaos,

Doesn't matter a bit...

品川駅

Me and my companion

Android phone,

In a crowded place,

Anonymous and alone,

Surrounded by strangers,

Unnoticed, unbeknown...

Gift Of The Bean

Not awake, or asleep,

Somewhere in between,

Floating in a state

Neither fuzzy nor keen,

Wait for impending

Effects of caffeine...

Stuck

Perplexed, unsettled,

No release,

Until I can find

The missing piece...

満員電車

Headed for Tokyo, morning train,

All kinds of people standing around,

Crushed like canned sardines,

With no one making a sound,

But I managed to get a seat,

And gloat with a silent chuckle,

Face the others, standing,

Stare at random belt buckle...

Hidden In Plain Sight

Ignored, unnoticed,

I've walked by repeatedly,

But now I've stopped,

By chance, quite randomly,

And am amazed by

What is there to see,

What had been waiting

So long for discovery...   

Why?

Homeless, or "un-housed",

Call them what you will,

Unknowing, unable to cope,

Now being culled by fentanyl,

As are the rust belt's dregs,

Coal miners' grandkids,

Popping pain killers

And hitting the skids...

Jerky

Teeth can bite, but more

Practically, chew,

Masticate for a good

Digestive follow-through...

Relax

Sit in peace, under

A gray April sky,

Clouds shelter,

Watch the world go by...

Azaleas

Nondescript stoic roadside bushes,

Suddenly turn pink, magenta, white,

For just a few cool Vernal weeks,

A surprising, spectacular sight…

Elderly Wisdom

Growing older, some will recognize

Bad habits, faults, and traits,

And thereupon act to revise,

Seek changes and alter-nates,

But for others, more oblivious,

The bad stuff lingers, calcifies,

And casts a needless pall

Of negatives until it dies...

AM Java Time

Settle into favorite chair,

Breath of relief, lean back,

Contemplation, with coffee,

Unsweetened, black,

Mind quiet-spinning in a

Mental cul-de-sac...

After The Equinox

The colors of flowers, 

The return of green,

Brings hope, or joy,

Or something in between,

Winter's burden lightened,

If you know what I mean...

Demonstrator

Filled with frustration,

Trapped in her rage,

Would have been better

To disengage,

But unable to

Turn the page...

How It Was Lost

Hubris and power,

Steadily overlapping.

But they don't notice,

Too busy clapping,

Their schadenfreude,

Vitriol and cheers,

Feel so good,

As freedom disappears...

Suspended

Helpless, staring at the ceiling,

Sleep-stopping brain fever,

Memories flickering, reeling...

No rest

In the bed,

Too much drama

Inside my head...

Holiday Lounge

Normally serious, 

Sober and mild,

But Tequila unleashes

Call of the wild,

In a strip mall bar,

Footloose, day drinking,

So much fun, but

What were we thinking...

通り魔

Something crooked, something bent,

Inside him, festering over time,

Until the day it finally erupted,

Into a random heinous crime...

No warning signals 

Sent in advance,

The unsuspecting victim

Never had a chance...

The Spice of Life

Happy and cheerful,

Then harried and fearful,

Ebb and flow,

It's just the way things go... 

烏の朝ごはん

Boss crow carefully eyes

The morning garbage pile,

Plans an attack, and others

Will arrive in a while,

Boss crow moves first,

With stab, peck, tear,

And before too long,

Trash scattered everywhere...

Flesh Robot

Usual morning noises, wake

Me up at half-past-five,

Consciousness sets in,

Senses say I'm still alive,

I, being the one who

Will semi-control and ride,

This body, full of blood,

Water, and mystery inside...

Our Campaign

Some are lost, and

Some are won,

But our daily battles

Are never done...

R&B

That old rocking music

That makes me feel whole,

Makes me feel young again,

Food for the soul...

春嵐

Sakura blooms released,

Pushed off by wind and rain,

Fall, fly, a pink blizzard,

Clog the sewer drain,

Wet petals, look like snow,

Adhere to asphalt sheen,

While above, and all

Around, turns shiny green...

At Breakfast

Light's arrival announces

Time to start another spin,

Of this curious planet, which,

Hosts the situation I'm in...

Post Demolition

Staring at a spot where

Something special used to be,

Assumed that it would

Stand there permanently,

But now I realize my

Belief was wrong,

Some buildings and businesses

Just don’t last that long,

So, as a result, all that

Remains, all that I've got,

Are memories of what used

To thrive, on this empty lot...

Survival Tip

The wise man told me

Something good to know...

It's not the big who eat the small,

But the quick who eat the slow...

Sand Through Fingers

Sobering to realize

How it went,

Priceless time

Wastefully spent,

Present rotting

Steadily into past,

Hubris to think

That it could last...

Seen on the News

Mad theater in Washington,

Emotes and unspools,

Oligarchs and lawyers,

April fools...

啓蟄

The return of Spring

Not just about plants,

Or flowers, but also

Appearance of ants,

And the other insects

Which green resurrects...

Marriage

Yes, of course, my dear,

Eternally yours,

With love (and fear)...

Optional

To be, or not to be,

A stark choice,

Or useless sophistry...?

Wallflower

She mainly wanted

To be left alone,

With her thoughts

And a smart phone,

Carefully preserving

Her safety bubble,

Human connections

Just too much trouble...

土曜日の朝

Roll out of bed, and

Balance -- steady, steady,

What? How can it be

A Saturday already,

Rub eyes, shaking head

Summoning some pain,

The dregs of last night's

Bacchanalia remain,

Bathroom, then kitchen,

A new day must begin,

But first thing fortify with

Coffee and aspirin...

Office Haiku

The challenges a workday sends,

How to handle them,

Well, that all depends...

Somewhere Near Kursk

Isolated, surrounded, recognizing

The hopeless situation he's in,

Being taken prisoner not an option,

So, he reaches deep within,

For the strength, and with a sigh

Of resignation, pulls the pin...

Saint Paddy's Day

What have we here?

Shots of Jameson,

Cold green beer,

This, our crazy day

Of Irish cheer,

Drink until the

Leprechauns appear...

ADHD

Some of us

Step lighter,

And the flame

Burns brighter,

Can't stay quiet,

Can't keep still,

Just run ahead to 

Where what will...

Moments at The Surfrider

Jet-lag-sedated in a wicker rocking chair,

Lazy-gazing, bemused and transfixed,

At the colorful tropical human

Cocktail, being stirred and mixed,

By the common urge to roam within,

The veteran colonnaded lobby, full

Of various shades of untanned skin,

Bulging T-shirt, flowered dress,

All aloha-urged toward their leisure,

In the Trade Winds' caress,

Hurry, the luau drums starting,

Hibiscus, pork, and mindlessness...

- - - - -

(Note: This is a revised version of a poem written on May 17, 2012)

INCEL

Few things are more

Dangerous in life,

Than an angry, lonely

Man with a knife...

Solitary, un-loved,

He eventually kills,

His pain exploding

As random blood spills...

Group Panic

Bird screaming, suddenly,

Starlings launch up

From the tree...

Then, based on something

They mysteriously learn,

The Starlings, to a different

Tree, circle, and return...

Why

I sometimes wonder,

Where and when,

I feel happiness,

Now and then...

Gray Matter

From where comes the

Instinct to flee or fight,

Or the urge to create,

To paint, to write,

All of it comes from

Somewhere deep inside,

Our uncharted brains.

Where gods reside...

Theater

I get the feeling, sometimes,

That my life is like a show,

Whether it's high drama, or dark

Comedy, I do not know...

Grandpa's Leg

Small grandchild hugging

My leg, looks above,

At me, with happy eyes,

Unconditional love...

So precious, such

Small innocent trust,

But evanescent,

For change it must,

As I can only 

Protect so long,

And the child must

Grow hard and strong...

TMI

The hell with this crap,

Turn the thing off,

Go take a nap...

Destabilization

Something's off, confused

Unsettled air,

Of which she's only

Slightly, dimly aware,

Her mind in a state

Of mild disrepair...

Brew

First gulp of cold beer

Refreshes, always does,

Those thereafter diminish,

But enjoy the buzz...

Modern Society

The priceless luxury

Of being alive,

And not having to

Struggle to survive,

Lucky to dwell

In a welfare state,

While others face

A more dismal fate...

Our Gift

A compassionate curse

The creator gods sent,

By making us

Man apes sentient...

Counter-culture

Hippie wisdom's legacy,

Drop out and vegetate,

Merge with music, in a

Chemically altered state,

Always feed the munchies,

And medicate...

春近よる

Rain and bluster,

South winds bring,

Winter receding,

Arrival of Spring...

Inconsolable

Old mother grieving over

Her son, lately slain,

Refuses to accept it was

Wrong or in vain,

Her son, lost while

Obeying the command,

To baselessly attack

A neighboring land,

She will neither regret

Nor understand...

Bleariness

Sleep, like a finicky ghost,

Sometimes spirits away,

When you need it the most,

And you're left in a

Wrack, insomniac,

Until mysteriously, the

Ghost comes back...

IT's Blessing

No one here, all alone,

But converse with the universe

Through my phone...

Survival

Hardly making a sound,

Solitary starling pecks

At crumbs  on the ground...

Storytelling

Our ongoing, baffling,

Streaming affliction,

Subsumed by, and stressed

Over works of fiction,

Enchanted, engrossed by

The tales they weave,

Forgetting the fact they

Are just make believe...

Checklist

Get ready for a new day,

Check off mental action list,

Wondering which, this

Time, I will have missed,

Different, I suppose, than

The omission before,

As I hurry to prepare

To go out the door...

Invisible Force

Oh, to be free,

Of the pull,

Of gravity,

To which we,

Succumb,

Eventually...

Expulsion

Being one of them,

No longer one of us,

I'm handcuffed and

Riding on a bus,

Being transported,

By executive order,

To another side

Of a border...

Off The Leash?

Dogs, leashed by lonely ones,

Meet others, doing a walk,

The dogs sniff introductions,

While the owners sit and talk,

Dogs, calm, surrender to the

Instinct of the packs,

Only to get excited when

An owner offers snacks…

Ebb Tide

Small waves ripple and whisper,

As they expire on the pier,

A calm ocean, blue turning

Aquamarine, is nothing to fear,

Rather gasp at its beauty,

All calm, now and here…

The Great Plains

Prairie, oceans of grass,

Over which buffalo herds

And prancing antelope pass...

Changed slowly, inexorably,

By the foreigners' arrival,

And the plowing under

To ensure their survival...

Self Destruction

In retrospect,

Internal combustion engines

Produced an effect,

Disastrous, but impossible

To deflect...

Mobility's illusion

Of being happy, free,

Masking a more

Toxic reality...

Nightfall

Cold cleansing rain

In the middle of the night,

Falls unheeded,

Falls out of sight,

Leaves a glistening

For the morning light...

Park Bench

The pigeon jerky-struts

Towards the piece of bread,

But a quick moving sparrow,

Takes it away instead...

To Write A Poem

Inhale, exhale,

Then dig deep,

Down to where

Miracles sleep,

Where burning

Feelings keep, 

Down to the

Mystic fire,

Where words,

Ideas, inspire...

冬の換気

Open window, ventilate the

Room, freshen the air,

February cold invades,

Flows around everywhere...

And me, I jump

Back in bed,

Pull the blanket

Over my head...

Pachinko

Neon like flashing lights,

Excite a game of pinball,

Morphed into a video game,

The silver ball bearings fall,

And when it hits a payoff,

Music triumphs crescendo,

And all would be OK if that

Were the finish, the endo,

But no such luck, because

From the very beginning,

The odds of losing are greater

Than those of winning...

Keikyu Miura Beach Center

Empty tourist beach,

Business plans abandoned,

Profits out of reach...

So different now from

When crowds would throng,

Onto the sand, under the Sun,

Now gone, adieu, so long,

Leisure dreams undone...

Rice Wine 日本酒 (Rev 1)

First cup, the man drinks the wine,
Second cup, the wine drinks the wine,
Third cup, the wine drinks the man,

Happens regardless of intent or plan...

And if things unfold in a harmless way,

The drowned will somewhere safely sleep

Until waking up the following day,

With thirst and discomfort, dizzy and deep...

デブ

Spandex really doesn't hide,

Cellulite, or a body that

Is just too round or wide...

"Curvey" and "Plus sized"

Words used instead of obese,

Fat being made fashionable,

Will wonders never cease...

Blank

How does nothing "happen"?

Unlike action or accident

It has no kinetic effect,

Nothing is null, a non-event...

Zero

The fearful immensity of it all,

Occasionally captured in thought,

On the other hand, mercifully

Ignored, more often than not,

Our passions, pains, loves, and

Dreams, adding up to aught...

Covert Operation

Undetected was the

Aliens' descent,

Quiet abductions,

Then their ascent...

梅林の目覚め

Out in the cold, life sap

Starts moving inside,

Waking sleeping blossoms,

The plum trees abide,

Slow nurturing the buds

In which their flowers hide...

The Grind

The harder you have 

To work to survive,

The more you 

Actually feel alive,

Push through pain,

Pass the test,

Appreciate the luxury

Of sleep and rest... 

D.C. in January

Political revenge,

Enemies fired,

Lawyers lined up,

Yes men hired,

Same old drama

Sad and tired...

Hiatus

Pre-dawn, lying back,

Staying still,

What will happen, will...

Retail Emergency

Critical shopping overload,

Mission abort, abort!

Execute emergency landing

On chair in the food court,

Regroup, reassess the

Situation while I can,

Then refocus on conducting

My egress plan...

単刀直入

Don't cower before the

Demons looming large,

Buckle your helmet, grab

Your sword, and charge!

Crossing

Gaze at the other side, where

Riches shine and blaze,

But before you cross that road,

Be sure to look both ways...

Now Playing

In addition to all the

Stress, angst, and pain,

Politics has the

Ability to entertain,

Which is something

Old media knows,

As it manipulates

The news-talk shows...

青

Azure is a word

For blue,

As is cerulean,

I never knew...

椰子の木

Breezy cold and sunny,

Ocean wavelets glimmer,

Palm fronds wave,

Sway, shiver, shimmer,

On this winter's day,

Spring still months away...

Chance

Hop, step, jump!

Grab a gold ring,

Or land in a dump...

社会のルール

Smile and bow,

Instead of embrace,

Love confined

In personal space,

Minimize friction,

Saving face...

Imaginary

Paused, before 

An obstruction,

Of her mind's

Own construction,

If only

She knew,

She could walk

Right through...

おはようございます

Splash cold water

On my face,

Grimace, shudder,

Gasp, and brace,

For another day of

The rodent race...

Creative Writing 101

Blank screen, staring

Me in the face,

Me, bedazzled,

Sitting in place,

Waiting for something,

Lost in space...

Motion

Whether or not

You worry,

Things still move

Ahead in a hurry...