SPRING
blossoms assembling
to view springtime crowds below––
beckoned by sake, smoke and laughter
the whole body of the bird on the ledge
vibrating with the effort of each note
down to its last
tail
feather
in the sunny spot
on the wide-open verandah
where I was just trimming my nails,
a sparrow reading the sports page
locking eyes
with a caterpillar
on a cabbage leaf
in a showdown
over dinner
LATE SPRING / EARLY SUMMER
eyes as flooded as the paddies
at the beauty of
scenes reflected there
~after planting a field of rice destined for sake:
tiny frog singing his heart out
in a rice paddy sown just today
–drunk already
raindrops falling, seeds of sound
that blossom in the evening
into a thousand froggy voices
TSUYU
~ume shigoto
birdsong leaking out
of the June rain–
hototogisu at the window
come to eavesdrop on the scent of ripe plums
plum rain’s whispered roar
scent of secrets murmured there
fragrance resounding
like your eyes after a good cry,
the hydrangeas dyed by the rain
a deeper shade of blue
LATE SUMMER / “REAL” SUMMER
lacy shawl of rain
this day has worn since dawn–
she puts away now, bare breasted
to the applause of cicadas
faster than the last cherry blossoms fall,
the stars––one by one––
melt into the dawn
sitting out in the garden all night
where did I ever get the idea that
somewhere
there is any line between today and tomorrow?
the chickens have eaten half my eggplants again—
a fair trade, I suppose,
for a morning scramble
AUTUMN
pouring down the concrete steps like an anthill disturbed
––elementary students in matching yellow bucket hat
the fruit fly sitting on the moon
reflected in my sake cup
come to share a drink with me
ginko leaves on the checkered sidewalk–
Horikawa Go Tournament
playing out again in technicolor
WINTER
the lean silhouette
of sakura’s winter branches––
bare arms elegant against the moon
a grace unknown
to springtime ruffles
a single strand of
tinsel
flutters
on the fir tree at the curb
––
then,
letting go of the branch,
riding the wind
across the world
~the 20th night festival at Motsuji
bonfire licks the depths
of night
––sky, dark, taking it all
more, more! it cries
–feed my hungry stars
