cuckoo in Tokyo

Like the cuckoo
A subway conductor sings
'Okubo... Okubo...'

Hiding

Daffodils
Hiding
The trash bins.

sword

The glittering sword
Which shows no remorse
For the lips it's kissed.

honor

pink

A pink rug
Under the Subaki tree
Says, remove shoes!

rabbits

Forever is home
To rabbits in Osaka 
Station.

chopsticks!

How many trees have
YOU eaten 
Chopsticks!

hotel

This hotel room
Doesn't care 
If it rains or shines.

artists!

whistle

Not to be confused,
The cuckoo and whistle train-
Kyoto dawn.

cemetery

Tending the rice field
And the cemetery below,
Husband and wife.

rain

To miss the cherry blooms

After the rains, 

Alas, Kyoto spring!

petals

Cherry petals,

The littered streets make

Sweepers smile.

handmade

Tokyo

In Japan
Touching ceilings
Everywhere.

sheets

Hotel sheets
Open windows
Smelling rain.

perfume

This shrouded moon,
If it were perfume
It would be you!

fog

Thick fog-
Is that a lightbulb
Or the morning moon?

mirror mirror

Each day I glance  
At the wall 
Where a mirror once was.

Golf!

nightingale

This evening
First nightingale
Fell from heaven.

plum

The moon tonight,
So big, it split the plum tree
In half.

sparrows

In the acacia tree
Two sparrows look for roof-
April rain.

blossom

'Poetry is nice'
I say to the cherry blossom
'But, one has to eat!'

spider

The house empties,
Too bashful to make a web-
The lonely spider.

Marcus Aurelius

Take care not to be Caesarified, or dyed in purple: it happens. So keep yourself simple, good, pure, serious, unpretentious, a friend of justice, god-fearing, kind, full of affection, strong for your proper work. Strive hard to remain the same man that philosophy wished to make you. Revere the gods, look after men. Life is short. The only harvest of existence on earth is a godly habit of mind and social action.


from Meditations, Book 6, 30
Marcus Aurelius,

tulips

Closing up shop
After a day's work-
Red tulips.

Japan again

daffodil

On top of the hill,
What a view he has,
The daffodil.

duck

Flapping wings
My palm tree thinks its a duck-
Morning mistral

breath

How cold!
The heartache of lost time,
Dawn's breath.

sensual

mobile

When the blackbird sings,
Its my mobile I think,
Every time.

tulips

Spring morning-
Red tulips open up
As I write this.

Midnight

An owl's cry
Between church bells
And midnight sleep.

Einstein!

Cherry

Your robe
Of pink blossoms-
Nice fit! Cherry tree.

mignon!

seatbelt

The girl next to me 

Cried watching 'Twilight'-

Tears fell on my seatbelt.

scarecrow

A scarecrow 

Of black plastic

Bags.

Accountants

Accountants 
All day looking at figures-
Me, at flowers!

awake!

winter

Today will clean
The winter corners 
In my mind.

coffin

Morning blackbird-
Wouldst thou song
Fit in my coffin?

Entombed

Moving home-

Into square boxes

Memories entombed.

traffic

Bedroom window
Open to birds
And traffic.

l'air de rien #158 (Place de la Concorde, Paris)

food!

chimes

Pink chimes-

Can you hear the

Cherry trees?

write a blog!

oak

Yes me too, one day
Up in smoke, like a 
Pile of oak leaves.

games

almond

Waiting all day
For almond blossoms
To fly.

daffodil

Daffodil-
March
Trumpet.

finger magic

pose

Display case-
A spider's
Last pose.

Clement

Clement moon!

Tonight all mine-

Tomorrow for you!

l'air de rien #157 (byron lighthouse)

winter

Without a bird's nest-
The sad tree
of winter.

Monsieur Carton!

sigh

Tonight's sunset,
A lover's sigh 
Comes to mind.

L'artiste!

Champs Elysées

Champs Elysées
Smart looking crowd-
Even the tramps.

engines

Seated in the air.

Engines sing

Instead of birds.

chapters

A painter's life 
Made up of
Two chapters.

l'air de rien #155 (Tyagarah N.S.W.)

foolish

This! the tennis court
Where foolish ants 
Make homes.