Youthful Face Tanka

my wife

braids our daughter's hair

with lullabies ...

my five-year-old self gazes

at Mother's youthful face

Fireflies' Light, 32, October 2025

Anxiety Wolf Tanka

in the moonlit dark

its eyes gleam, jaws slather

and teeth gnash...

this anxiety wolf stares at me

while dizzy, breathing fast

Fireflies' Light, 32, October 2025

Election Buzz Senryu

blowflies around

last night's leftovers ...

election buzz

Fireflies' Light, 32, October 2025

Trade War News Haiku

yellowing leaves 

astir in the night wind ...

trade war news

Fireflies' Light, 32, October 2025

Flock of Words Tanka

honk, honk, honk

of southbound geese ...

a flock of words

jostles my mind's window

pestles my migrant heart

Fireflies’ Light, 31, 2025

Stranger Tanka

day by day

night after night

this stranger

with strands of white hair

in my bedroom mirror

Fireflies’ Light, 31, 2025

Dinner Alone Haiku

dinner alone

the hum, humming

of my fridge

Fireflies’ Light, 31, 2025

Feeder Haiku

bird by bird

my neighbor's feeder empties ...

For Sale sign tilted

Fireflies’ Light, 31, 2025

World Map Haiku

years in exile ...

on the world map only inches

to my homeland

Fireflies’ Light, 31, 2025

Migrant Friend Tanka

billiard balls knocked

from one side of the table

to another ...

my migrant friend sighs, my life

here, there and everywhere

Fireflies' Light, 30, 2024

familiar strangers Senryu

office gossip

these familiar strangers

at the bus stop

Fireflies' Light, 30, 2024

Sunny Spot Haiku

my old dog

spreadeagled in the sunny spot

me, too

Fireflies' Light, 30, 2024

Foodbank Closed Haiku

foodbank closed

a stray dog scratching

at its shadow

Fireflies' Light, 30, 2024

Mother's Day As Usual

model planes

hung from a starry ceiling

that quiet room

this burden

of the morning silence

her absent son

height marks on the wall

day after day still a boy

in her mind's eye

Fireflies' Light, April, 2024

Steller's Sea Eagle Tanka

Steller's sea eagle 

spotted in a bare tree

half a world

away from its home ...

waves lap blue against my feet

Fireflies' Light, April, 2024

FYI: "Steller's sea eagle is one of the largest raptors, endemic to Northeast Asia, where it lives in Russia, Korea, Japan, China, and Taiwan"

Waterfall Tanka

marooned for hours

on the edge of a waterfall

a white-tailed deer

looking vacantly at me

looking back at my life

Fireflies' Light, April, 2024

Parting Words Tanka

the jagged edges

of her parting words

in perfect English

gash my immigrant heart ...

her face white as the snow moon

Fireflies' Light, April, 2024

Rejection Haiku

rejection again ...

the thought of learning

from bent bamboo

Fireflies' Light, April, 2024

Mountain Waterfall Haiku

echoes

from a mountain waterfall

flickering sunlight

Fireflies' Light, April, 2024

Distant Gunshots Haiku

distant gunshots

then silence

a falling blossom

Fireflies' Light, April, 2024