One Man's Maple Moon: Beast and Cherry Blossoms Tanka by Fumi Saito
-
*English Original*
long dead
the bones of a beast
decaying tonight
I am nearly choked
as cherry blossoms are falling
*White Letter Poems*, 1998
Fumi Saito...
Wednesday, April 2, 2025
Tuesday, April 1, 2025
Monday, March 31, 2025
The Prices We Pay
claim denial ...
this numbness outside
this anger inside
deny, delay, depose
etched on blood-stained shell casings
gathering dark
one less CEO ...
half awake to this Promised Land
grievance-shadowed
A haunting voice echoes in my mind, "I don't wish anyone harm, but when a CEO routinely brought in revenue of over $100 billion for a health insurance company with the highest claim-denial rate, double the industry average, it's hard to feel sad about his violent death. He spent his life making money by increasing the suffering of everyday Americans. Now, I just follow his lead of indifference."
Haiku Canada Review, 19:1, 2025
Sunday, March 30, 2025
Saturday, March 29, 2025
A Season of Regret
snowed in
for three straight days
again, I check
the machine for the sound
of your voice
I dream
that winter dream again ...
sadder than then
as I look out the window
at the sky, endless gray
FYI: This set could be read as a prequel to my tanka below:
It's me
I just wanted to hear
from you ...
fifteen seconds of soft voice
after ten years of silence
Gusts, 35, Spring/Summer 2022
Added: Trump Empire, Inc., XV
Day and Night, Forever?
for Mark Twain who claimed, "Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason."
step after step
one by one to the exit
DOGE cuts
red district town hall
a crowd-fest
of boos and jeers
distant sirens
free-ranging dogs pee
on the Trump Mural
Liberation Day!
the news on mute, I change
my baby's diaper
FYI: DOGE stands for the Department of Government Efficiency. And the Convicted Felon Donald Trump is set to roll out his massive tariff plan on April 2, which he has touted as "Liberation Day in America."
Added:
a dollhouse
in the rain-streaked window
of a thrift store
a girl holds her mother's hand
tight ... and tighter
Added:
frost flowers
on my son's study room window
paper planes gather dust
Friday, March 28, 2025
Thursday, March 27, 2025
Garbage Mountain Tanka
the sound of summer
one flock after another
of seagulls
gathering, parting
as the garbage mountain shimmers
TSA Members' Anthology, 2025
Wednesday, March 26, 2025
Adrift
the sound of leaves
crunching under my feet ...
laid off
the stop, go, stop
of this gig work life ...
rush hour traffic
last bus ride
office tower shadows drift
across my tired face
long time no see ...
plumes of breath between me
and my former boss
laid off again ...
I gaze at the winter skies
one cloud at a time
Frogpond, 48:1, Winter 2025
Tuesday, March 25, 2025
Monday, March 24, 2025
50, 000 Deaths Tanka
(FYI: EuroNews, March 31: Bodies of 15 aid workers discovered in southern Gaza mass grave
And Haaretz, April 1: UN Recovers 15 Aid Workers' Bodies in Gaza, Say Some Found Bound and Shot
Rescue teams say some victims had their hands tied and were shot at close range, suggesting they were executed.
Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, LXI: "aid worker"
please bury me
with no casket, no prayers
face down, away
from this shrapnel-filled world:
the note in an aid worker's hand
Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CLXX: "Gazans are Humans?"
too much to ask YOU
to see Gazans as humans?
50, 000 deaths
silenced, forgotten, buried
under the weight of daily life
FYI: Israel's oldest daily now sanctioned by the Israeli government, Haaretz, March 24: 50,000 Palestinians Have Been Killed in Gaza: This Is How It Happened, Day by Day
And Haaretz, March 24: Announcement That Death Toll Surpassed 50,000 Didn't Faze Anyone, Not Even in Gaza
Even Gazans aren't preoccupied by the number of dead these days. They're busy with questions of day-to-day survival: Will Israeli attacks become as widespread as they were before the cease-fire? Will all of Gaza be reoccupied? And who will die today or tomorrow?
Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CLXXI: "crowded shelter"
crowded shelter
layer within layer
of hushed silence
FYI: Haaretz, March 27: In One of the Gaza War's Most Horrifying Nights, the Israeli Army Killed Nearly 300 Women and Children
the IDF and the Shin Bet focused this time on civilian and political targets and less on the military wing of Hamas.
Sunday, March 23, 2025
Man in Black Haiku
store windows barred shut
footsteps of a man in black
echoing mine
FYI: For more examples, see "To the Lighthouse: Haiku Noir"
Added:
in a blue suit
the "Great One" walked onto the ice
near the US team’s bench
with a thumbs up ...
Gretzky statue smeared with poop
FYI: Maclean's, March 5: Goodbye to Gretzky
The cracks in Gretzky’s patriotism have been showing for years. In 2009, he was promoted to companion of the Order of Canada—the nation’s highest civilian honour—but he wouldn’t come home to accept it. “It’s just embarrassing,” Christopher McCreery, an expert on the Canadian honours system, said in 2018, after nearly a decade had passed and The Great One still claimed the honour.
Added: Trump Empire, Inc., XI
Land of the Crazed --> USA
Canada <-- Home of the Brave
giant road sign
at the corner of the border
as flocks of geese fly north
FYI: This could be read as a prequel to the following:
in Toronto sunshine
with the scent of early spring
and freedom
two Americans meet and part:
one draft dodger, one Trump evader
Added: Trump Empire, Inc., XII
Uber ride home
a Trumpinator bobblehead
rattles on the dashboard
(FYI: Trumpinator bobblehead is a figurine of Donald Trump as the Terminator)
Added: Trump Empire, Inc., XIII
fast-hitting snowstorm
as Trump enacts another round
of tariffs ...
to stay or to go, I muse
[yet this longing for Never Land]
Added: Trump Empire, Inc., XIV
inspired by The Atlantic, March 24: The Trump Administration "Accidentally" Texted Me Its War "Plans"
supersized
FistStarsandStripesFire 👊 🇺🇸 🔥...
three emojis
and MAGAmoronsinsuits
love company in the spotlight
FYI: The Canadian Press, March 26: The Atlantic releases the entire Signal chat showing Hegseth's detailed attack plans against Houthis
The Independent, March 26: ‘It’s really not a big deal’: Trump responds to latest round texts published in Signal text scandal
And CNN, March 26: The politics of the Yemen chat scandal is obscuring key foreign policy shifts
Saturday, March 22, 2025
Easy as 1-2-3 When Humor Bombs
Trump Empire, Inc., IX
written in response to Bob Newhart's claim: "Humor’s a weapon if you want to make it one"
MAGA bar brawl between Trump jokes a thunderous echo-fart
floodafterfloodoftariffstaxcutMARA
King Trump's Castro-length shit-words
raising chickens for eggs
since wave after wave of DOGE cuts
I fart so often
NeverEnding Story, March 22 2025
FYI: The noun shit-word has been obsolete since its recorded usage only in the Middle English period (1150—1500) (shit-word entry, Oxford English Dictionary). Now, it's revived by King Trump.
DOGE stands for the "Department of Government Efficiency", and MARA for "Make America Rich Again."
And eggs contain sulfur, which can contribute to the sulfurous smell of gas. 😂)
Added: Trump Empire, Inc., X
wall-mounted TV
blasting Putin demands to keep
captured territories
as we buy stinky tofu ...
one adds, "including the White House"
FYI: Stinky tofu, also known as "chou doufu" in Chinese, is a fermented bean curd dish popular in China and Taiwan, known for its strong, pungent odor and unique flavor.
Friday, March 21, 2025
The Fate of a Struggling Poet
candlelight dinner
a love haiku
gifted to my blind date
these ums and ahs
she splits every bill
down to the cent
On the eve of Lottery Day, half asleep ... and yet half awake, I hear her laugh in my laughter.
The first rays of sunlight slant through my bedroom window. It's a serious thing: just to be alive on this fresh morning in the dream-shattered world.
Thursday, March 20, 2025
Four-Year-Old Self Kyoka
my wife repeats,
aim your pee-pee
into the toilet ...
my son stops to smile at me
smiling at my four-year-old self
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
Pre-Dawn Bombings Tanka
Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CLXVII: "pre-dawn bombings"
written in response to The Canadian Press, March 18: Israel's surprise bombardment plunged Palestinians back into 'hell'
By midday, over 400 people had been killed. It was one of the deadliest days of the 17-month war, following two months of ceasefire.
pre-dawn bombings
light the sky with orange flares
shatter the stillness
set fire to a sprawling tent camp ...
sounds of Death in a child's eyes
FYI: FYI: "Israel's oldest daily, now sanctioned by Netanyahu, the WarCriminal , Haaretz," Editorial, March 19: Israel, Not Hamas, Is Derailing the Gaza Cease-fire and Preventing the Hostages' Return
The Irish News, March 18: Netanyahu says strikes across Gaza that killed hundreds ‘only the beginning’ And Al Jazeera, March 19: Israel’s renewed strikes on Gaza have killed 183 children
The IDF announced it has begun a ground offensive in northern Gaza. The White House said that President Trump "fully supports" Israel's recent actions in Gaza. Over 710 Gazans have been killed and 900 wounded in Israeli strikes in the last 48 hours, the spokesperson of a hospital in central Gaza told Al Arabiya News.
And Haaretz, Analysis, March 21: Israel Is Preparing to Occupy Gaza, Reinstate Military Rule and Fully Control the Palestinian Population
Israel appears to be creating a smokescreen around the government and army's true intentions. While awaiting updates on talks with Hamas, preparations are underway for a major operation to occupy Gaza
Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CLXVIII: "bomb after bomb"
some sleep, some prepare
for another Ramadan fast ...
bomb after bomb
silencing all things under the roofs
and inside makeshift tents
Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CLXIX: "inverted red triangle"
police phalanx on campus ...
with his face painted
with the inverted red triangle
he shouts, I need no mask; I speak
from my difference
FYI: Red triangle (Palestinian symbol), Wikipedia: Since the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, an inverted red triangle has been used by pro-Palestinian protesters.[1] The red triangle as a Palestinian symbol dates back to the 1917 Arab Revolt, after which it was also used in the Palestinian flag...
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Monday, March 17, 2025
Something New for a Day Trip, and Yet ...
Trump Empire, Inc., VII
written in response to Time Magazine, March 11: U.S. Is Added to Human Rights Watchlist
It's Trump-Free Zone
not the 51st US state
from New York
my friend trumpets with her eyes closed
face skyward, hands outstretched ...
in Toronto sunshine
with the scent of early spring
and freedom
two Americans meet and part:
one draft dodger, one Trump evader
wave after wave
lapping against the lake shore ...
the blood moon
shapes and re-shapes
our dark reflections
Note: During the Vietnam War, American "draft dodgers," most of whom were anti-war activists, evaded military service through various means, with some seeking refuge in Canada. And the origin of the name "Toronto" comes from the Huron word toran-ten, which literally means meeting place.
And BuzzFeed, "Jan. 22": Americans Share Why They Chose Canada Over The US
Added: Trump Empire, Inc., VIII
patho-cracy ...
my ESL teacher whispers
then puts her finger
to her mouth as USA! chants
grow loud and darker outside
FYI: ESL stands for English as a Second Language. And a pathocracy is “a system of government created by a small pathological minority that takes control over a society"
For more details, see The Tyee, March 18: Trump and the Politics of Pathology: The strongman catastrophist summons the worst in us.
Trump is a catastrophist. He wrecks things and then feeds on the pieces. His enablers scavenge the perks and privileges that he dispenses. He is a misanthrope. The conflict and confusion that he creates are purposeful, not incidental. It is a calculated cruelty. And it takes the combination of grievance, vulnerability, and pervasive public ignorance that allows a strongman symbol like Trump to rise to the surface by channelling these feelings into rage and the lust for retribution. It’s not the price of eggs.
Added:
no eye contact ...
a teen up and out of their shopway
this snowy morning
Added:
the beep, beep
of life on the brink
waxing crescent
in the window
of this ICU room
Sunday, March 16, 2025
9-5 Job Tanka
hour by hour
one frost flower
after another
blooms on my office window ...
the ho-hum of this 9-5 job
Time Haiku, 61, 2025
Saturday, March 15, 2025
Immigrant Past Tanka
to forget
or not to forget
my immigrant past ...
in the autumn wind
even clouds touch and part
Time Haiku, 61, 2025
Friday, March 14, 2025
Foreclosed House Tanka
the door
of a foreclosed house
blown open
by a winter gust ...
inside and out this emptiness
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