kxsw ~ yotsumono

KXSW* --
agencies and native tongues

connect in live streams

above this rag-tag village

eagles stay a constant course

the 'best in the west'

hop on board that yellow bus

certain of a win

once the creek fills up with fish

there'll be circles 'round the drum

*KXSW is best heard near dawn on a weekday morning, US central standard time; it will offer your spirit power

 

 

Yotsumono: November (2017)

 

 

 

 November --
countless raindrops to measure
the length of a day


a veil of frost
tints Johari's window


ranks of children
prone and obedient
to a flickering image


Lebensraum,
a none too distant dream

 

 

Kotatsu ~ Yotsumono

 

 

'Cisco: yotsumono

in forest's verdure -
to each its separate branch
squirrels natter and nag  

a check mark by "climate change"
on every certificate

canvass and leather
an even trade
for nylon and Velcro

before he moved on
'Cisco was a friend of mine

flu season ~ yotsumono

`













the man in black
puffs his inhaler -
flu season

never looking up
no one notices the crow

queue at full stop
I steal a glance at
the nape of her neck

gritty snow
in the bus stop's shadow

flu season: yotsumono

the man in black
puffs his inhaler -
flu season

never looking up
no one notices the crow

queue at full stop
I steal a glance at
the nape of her neck

gritty snow
in the bus stop's shadow

Yotsumono ~ tassels

red and yellow silks
weave tassels on the corn --
crows keep to the rows



on a rainy Midwest morning,
muted shades of grey



inspiration found
from the very first page
of the new best seller



not merit nor dishonor
in lines of 1's and o's

 

 

 

 

 

 

Little Book of Yotsumonos

Yotsumono :: The Slightest Blush

names I can't pronounce

their words, a reverie --

ripe persimmons

the slightest blush

her lips make not a sound

a good student,

hating himself,

does what he's told

neutrons in the reactor's core

at critical mass






The Little Book of Yotsumonos

banya ; new paint :: yotsumono

early this morning
we took a roundabout way -
two cemeteries


if I miss one call
someone else can pick up



nobody says
the Pledge of Allegiance
any more



climate change . . .
so ban the banya, too?






banya: warm blanket; Russian

***













spring melancholy
a coat of new paint
will cover the old



each Bonus posted
in a different color!



with good jobs gone
half of Payne Avenue
is up for sale



sketches done in chalk
the rain all washed away






;;;;;

facebook :: yotsumono

daytime moon
figures in crayon scrawled
on every door



2 am it rained; now
the dogs bark at any noise



ever since they left
that abandoned sofa
rests there on the curb



logged on facebook
in a language not my own





;;;;;

Yotsumono :: skeletons for sale

skeletons for sale -
 price of seed out of reach
late on Hallow's Eve

egg whites poured on water,
torch light, sun wise, round the house

the mountain
such a friendly place
now that wifi's gotten here

honeybees in the city
in search of lingering blossom



::::::::::

 

three day moon

still a few stalks
by the windbreak in the snow --
three day moon

the dog makes a beeline
for the fox's spoor

in the villager's panic
torches and pitchforks
passed all around

she posts a view of blossoms
one last time


Bandit, Rice


` '';;;;'' yotsumono

Moe Jones ::: yotsumono

` ` ;;;;;




aside from the rain
the city still beckons --
Autumn melancholy



under the best care
that your money can buy



remember Moe Jones?
his mother told us
he passed on the weekend



it's all caught on tape
by that eye in the sky

hot again ::: yotsumono

a lone gull gliding
catches up to its cries --
Lake Mallalieu


kinetic theory
its rippling arc bending


pomade, coffee, talcum,
clean shirt, too -
the Fat Man's stick is hot again


a note with no name,
and roses, just shy a dozen




;;;;;

November :: yotsumono

November --
countless raindrops to measure
the length of a day

a veil of frost
tints Johari's window

ranks of children
prone and obedient
to a flickering image

Lebensraum
a none too distant dream



` ` ;;;;;

yotsumono

.

No. 4

heat wave
reading a classic novel
that bores me

a little family
fashioned out of clay

this is the last time
I’ll give in to your request
for fried eggs

she takes a drag
off my last Pall Mall


melissa, willie, melissa, willie


.

yotsumono

.

No. 3

summer moon
coaxing from memory
the shape of her face

a Cubist painting
hanging crooked

only to discover
a stain
on his old school tie

the flame shared
between pieces of kindling


willie, melissa, willie, melissa


.

yotsumono

.

No. 2


drifting clouds
all day drinking
from one tall glass

on a dare, naked,
into the lake

train whistles -
I can't reveal
my true motivation

the hobo's sign
etched in packed snow


melissa, willie, melissa, willie



.

yotsumono

.

No. 1

tendrils of ivy -
I think I'll paint
my mailbox blue

she moves the snake away
from the garden hose

an uninvited guest
is knocking
at the door

one last question
before the storm begins



willie, melissa, willie, melissa

Thanks to Melissa Allen



' The Yotsumono is a four verse sequence for two voices.'

.