from Sleeping with Bashō
Time-Lapse
Growing out
of clouds
like a cedar tree—
Mount Fuji.
*
Nursery Rhyme
The flea
jumped over
Mount Fuji.
*
Still Alive
Can’t you feel the coolness
under my summer hat?
*
Trysting Place
Though miles apart,
tonight we’ll meet secretly
beneath the same moon.
*
Souvenir Fan
Brings wind from
the Mount Fuji
painted on it.
*
Priority Overnight
On the other hand,
these clouds have blown
hundreds of miles
to deliver this cool air.
*
Moon over Tokyo
You rarely see
such a heavenly body
in this filthy city.
*
Eighteen
At best,
how many more springs
will I live to see?
*
Old Toys
Suddenly,
overnight,
I’m a grown man.
*
Success at Last
Poetry fame
is not fame fame.
*
On the Mountaintop
Letters of mist that
vanish before
they can be read.
*
A Cat in Love
Visits his wife
as often as mine
visits the oven.
*
From a Fairy Tale
At low tide, you can see
the glistening treasures
the underwater palace
has laid out to dry.
*
Is That Stupid Bird Hawking Vegetables Now?
Waiting for the first call
of the cuckoo, I hear
the greengrocer instead.
*
Don’t Be a Litterbug
People eat their rice
dumplings, then throw
the reed-leaf wrappers
anywhere.
*
Glow in the Dark
The summer sea
casting its blue nets
all along the shore.
*
Swimming at Night
Drenched in sweat
under the mosquito net.
*
Empty Shell
The cicada skipped
town without collecting
his security deposit.
