殉職者供養塔

The gray stone monument

Looms over where I stand,

At a place which was ocean

Before becoming land,

The water pushed back as

Rocks and rubble filled,

The monument a memorial

To workers who were killed...

月食 --11/19/2021

Gaze up at the darkened moon,

Awed and humbled to know,

That the last time this happened

Was 580 years ago...

The Game

It's about how you act,

And what you choose,

Not after winning,

But when you lose...

Political Fable

Attempted evasion

By the wily snail,

Tried to camouflage, 

But to no avail, 

Given away by

Its mucous trail,

Then sensing the

Approach of hell,

It curled up quickly

Inside its shell...

Traffic Report

Cars drive by

At breakneck speeds,

In pursuit of real

Or imagined needs,

Distracted drivers

Impatient, stressed,

Would be better off

Back home, at rest...

Human Pressure Valve

Frustration grows,

Control erodes,

Consequently 

Anger explodes,

Emotional shrapnel 

Wounds and discommodes…

Swamp Dawn

Eerie silence, mist

Rising from the bog,

Prehistoric-looking heron

Stalks a frog…

From Behind A Cloud

Gap in the clouds,

Crescent moon appears,

As if to say good night,

This hour of mist and tears,

All feels good, feels right…

Sensible

Pragmatic,

Works better than

Dogmatic…

Blind Man's Bluff

No telling what mysteries,

Or horrors, lie ahead,

Therefore best to grin and

Ignore it all instead...

They Come At Night

Ghouls and weird spirits,

Sensed, but not seen,

Pumpkins emitting magic,

Spooky Halloween,

Orange, yellow trees,

Glow in the evening air,

Except for the scary one,

Whose branches are bare...

Coping

Life comes at you, constantly,

In pieces and bits,

Sometimes it's crazy,

Sometimes it fits,

And you just try your best,

As time permits...

Opiate Of The Masses

For most of them,

The idea of being free,

Was less desirable

Than peace & stability,

Quiet comfort, however

Boring that might be...

暴走族2021

Bluster, emotional release for

Japanese working-class boys,

Group-riding unmuffled motorcycles,

Unleashing roaring noise,

During the midnight hours

Their frustrations unload,

Slipping gears, twisting throttles,

Small rebellion on the road...

Unexpected

Sunset stroll, during an

Autumn day's aftermath,

A rat runs across

The walking path...

Misadventure

Headed in a strange direction

And I wanted to shout,

Slow down, think twice,

Shift sails, come about,

But as things turned out,

Message never sent,

And off into the maw

Of their fate, they went...

New Tourist Trap

It can all be yours,

For a hefty fee,

Sit on a rocket,

Launched up vertically,

Then you can experience

Zero gravity,

In the void of space,

Albeit momentarily...

Blind Faith

Truth was revealed, right

In front of their eyes,

Yet, it still was something

They could not recognize,

For they can not accept,

Or readily conceive,

Of a reality different

From what they believe...

Risk Management

Endlessly, aimlessly, we amble

Ahead, into the unknown,

Each act and step taken

Like dice which are thrown,

And if risk  is involved 

With the here and there,

That's something of which

We are blissfully unaware,

Content to prevaricate

The gaping abyss of our fate...  

Cogito Ergo Sandwich

I think, therefore I am,

But when I eat,

It's cheese on ham...

Cold Comfort

Outside, the cold rain fell,

But inside, under her blanket,

All warm, dry, and well...

盆栽

The beauty of the Bonsai tree,

Covers up how it was made,

Bound, bent by wires, lost

Freedom the price it paid,

Twisted, trimmed, stunted,

It still grows toward the light,

Life force undaunted but

Trapped for aesthetic delight...

 

After The Curtain Fall

Cleaning up after the big show,

Excitement now gone, its

Memory just a dim glow,

Sweep up performance

Detritus, row after row,

Magic moments produced

By the price of admission,

Now dissolved into nothing

With the quiet's redition...

16 October 2021

Subtle shifts in the light,

And the ambient atmosphere,

With the approach of cold rains,

This last warm day of the year...

Digestive Gas

Grandma's full-throttle fart,

Launched in the waiting room,

Had the psychological impact

Of a sonic boom...