Starlight on the Gutter of Blossoms, I
cherry blossom rain ...
under a grey-veined sky
the park dump
with needles scattered
in mangy green
FYI: My new writing project, Starlight on the Gutter of Blossoms, applies the violent lens of the urban onihishigitei style to the modern landscape. Inspired by Christine Judd’s "neon lights" tanka, the title hijacks Oscar Wilde’s romanticism—"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars"—and forces that celestial gaze down into the city’s filth to "slay" traditional beauty.
Added: Starlight on the Gutter of Blossoms, II
summer stars
drip silver light on the river --
slick after slick
of oily black choking
the throat of a storm drain
Added: Starlight on the Gutter of Blossoms, III
the wisteria scent
in cascading clusters --
moonlit shards
from a smashed windshield
in the asphalt's teeth
