Meandering Musings I: A Selection of My Poetry

I’m a prose writer, but I dabble in bad poetry. Most of it are wordplay experiments and free writing that isn’t worth showing to anyone. Although I’ve read Robert Frost, Shakespeare, and many Western poets, Japan’s poetry resonates with me more. Japan favors succinct, symbol-coded poems that follow differing syllable patterns. The musical nature of poetry is beyond me. I prefer the meaning, symbol, and the look of words. So when I write, prose or poetry, I focus on these three parts of words and ignore the lyrical, rhythmic, and melodious aspects of the sounds words represent. Nor do I write to haiku, tanka, or other patterns. But enough blathering. We will get back to the usual scheduled anime and Japanese articles soon. I thought to offer something different, if a little self-indulgent, to end 2025.

Rapscallions
cherry blossoms
flee on the wind

Look while you can
cherry blossom petals fall
How many more years remain
for your looking?

Patter, patter without
Prattle, prattle within
I gaze at shadows silent
beyond the veranda
Behind me, cacophony
In front of me, life ignored.

I work in silent noise
Tintinnabulation in my hearing
Louder as the silence deepens
A single light illuminates,
yellowing my page
My pen runs dry,
yet I scrape out
the last of my words.

Look away, just one moment
Look back, just for forever
Can you feel the sun?
Beating time, stupid clever
Fooling yourself, ignoring true matters
Work, labor, wealth, consuming
Look away, just for forever
Look back, just for one moment
You are everywhere, nowhere
Waiting for word of you
Paper hope unwavering
Look away, just for one moment
Look back, just for forever

Laugh and I join you
Autumn leaves kicking
Fingers entwined
Chill wind ruffling
Closer still we touch
Shoulder to shoulder
Laugh and I join you
Autumn leaves kicking
Your scarf around my neck
My scarf warming yours
Your hair blows over my face
I squeeze your fingers
Leaves crunch under feet
Laugh and I join you
Autumn leaves kicking

Profusion
one thousand pinks
glisten in the dewy dawn

Rain
pink glistens against gray
a drop carries the last petal away

Snippets for limited attention spans
Modern mind, haiku aligned
A few seconds
Swipe
Flit

The knells of Gion
marking the end of Heike
and of us

Bird serenade
4:30 AM
The cat snores

Last spring’s
cherry blossoms
long ago come and gone

Axe
Winter wind
Woodpile

Moonlight
Intertwined hands
Swing

Goodbye and good riddance
Busted knuckles, broken teeth
And still an idiot savant of the streets
I pass the junkies
I am better than you
I am disciplined and principled
Smart enough not to get hooked
But too dumb to do better than the streets
Of this forgotten, over-full city
Still, the city has its joys if you look
They are better than any hit
Drugs or fists offer.

The stereotyped single stoplight
In the center of the town
The scent of manure and the lowing of its creators
drift across the cracked streets
I saunter along, noticing the small touches
The other people overlook in their bustle to escape
Small, as the town is, I’m satisfied
You have to live somewhere
And somewhere has its problems everywhere
The town is as exotic as I find the city
Exotic becomes humdrum soon enough
I saunter along, noticing the small touches
The other people overlook in their bustle to escape
Oops, I left my phone behind, pocket light
No one texts or calls anyway, so that is fine
There’s no need to feel sad for me
I feel sad for you, unable to live where you are
You bring yourself wherever you go
I am fine alone in this town
Are you fine in the crowd?
Can you saunter along, noticing the small touches?