Wordsworthian Matrix

The boys are bouncing basketballs in the foyer
at lunch. Mothers watch daddy twirl one, stepping out of the math
not to lose the Viagra mortgage over a long haul
spilling over into whatever disaster is left for arguments.

Before the slowdown everyone and their butcher
was frenetic for a connection, not just salables
who feed us frenergy, garnering what we might be
had we been handed more than silver linings to fall through with.

Now, no matter how many flavors I’ve tasted
It’s not the same. The end zone is made of lime,
the soil moist with tater-bugs and possum droppings yields little,
pallid sprouts leaking back to earth illegally laced
undoing the slow genetics of glory days
before the law kicked in, patents lifting bodies from selves.

Bag of Senryu 川柳袋

Asaoka Shinji 浅丘真治 (Dean Brink 包 德樂)

Japanese originals with English translations

雑題 miscellaneous topics

停電へ手を取り合ってお手洗い
The power out, holding hands going to the restroom.

背広着た今日は行かない喫茶店
Wearing a suit today, not going to the usual café.

張りの無い世に懐かしい雷親父
In a lackluster world, how nice to see a thundering old man again.

言い訳を捜しながらも爆弾し
While searching for excuses dropping bombs.

国と神いえども兵の民営化
Though saying “god and country”
privatizing the army.

アメリカも「暗い谷」への夢遊病
America can also sleepwalk into a “Dark Valley.”

砂原に掘った凹みにさくら植え
In gaping holes dug in the desert
planting cherry trees

眠れない夜に付き合う屋根のリス
Sleepless night
meeting the squirrel on the roof.

Topic:「軽い」light (adj.)
軽く屋根登る狸の手にブドウ
Nimbly climbing
on the roof, in the raccoons hands
grapes.

Topic:「迷う」 become confused
迷い込むカフェの出会いで恋芽ばえ
Meeting in the overflowing café, love blossoms.

Topic:「招待」 invitation
一人だけ招待されて板ばさみ
Stuck
with only one of us
invited.

(2003)

Bait and Switch Rhizomes

Homer’s boss runs the reactor keeping us busy
while hiding hands one at a time in a washing motion,
a Dali machining into the firmament of landscape,
a slow, frazzled battle sleepwalked out of body.
Living gets old and lightheaded,
be the first to wave the white flag
boys off to compensate for better days and cheaper stuff.
Meanwhile, hunters fan out for greener pastures
in the circling food chain, and the sun
makes its getaway in the steady millions of miles.

The sawing by the café doesn’t bother me
as long as they are replacing rotted ties
on the public walk by the river.
I’m allergic to Genesis and cigarettes,
but they have a database I’ve always dreamt of.
I feel at home as long as tea is allowed.
Ongoing yard sales only go so far
and you turn to burning legs of tables
to roast marshmallows and other
comfort foods that are fun to say:
pork chops and applesauce, in the morning couscous.

(Appeared in November 3rd Club)

You Can Feel It Fluttering By

A service worker at Mosburger
wears her cap low, undercover,
a temporary leg up from a friend
like my life at Fred Meyers
before I could be bonded to be a checker,
just a gopher: rushing pallets of Tampax
to Pharmacy, helping Barbara facing
Housewares, putting toys back in Variety
or gathering a steel dragon of shopping carts
to ride heavy and steady down the sloping parking lot after hours
scaring straggling customers almost getting my ass fired,
but always close to the beck and call of managers and a step behind their advances.

(October 9, 2008, Taipei and Hualian)