Phantasmagoria　

Ⅰ

An old well left

In an empty land—

A cherry petal drops into it.

Desolate lands,

Beaten by the rain––

A dayflower blooms

Construction noise

Echoing in the rain—

A machiya screams

A Cicada’s voice

Lost in the noise–

Demolishing another machiya

The cicadas’ call and respond

To the rhythms of a backhoe––

Kyoto, bound in choir, 2016

All the rattle and crash in Kyoto

Covered by sudden snow–

Christmas night

Ⅱ

A cherry tree in bloom

Welcomes the breeze––

An empty elementary school

Trace the Samurai’s footsteps

Across the asphalt jungle—

The heat shimmers in mirage

A parking lot

Where a Samurai’s house stood…

Autumn rain

A Shinto shrine lay

Among the skyscrapers —

Golden Gingko valley

The Buddha keeps watch

Over the urban hustle and bustle––

Snowed rooftop temple

Twelve-storied condos

Spout up across the city—

Urban bamboo shoots