Woodcut by https://a3bcollective.org/

“The Stone”

The stone shows a crack.
where rough play and banging about
caused scratches and chips and polished smooth.
A crack, thin and jagged, all the way thru
from one side to the other, moves
many fissures and fractures, hidden from view

“Transposed”

A fast walk across concrete
My greedy strides consume
like eager travel, with places to go
Winter air fills my nose
dry savory smokiness
sweet wood and stone
I hurl myself forward
Back to my first time in Tokyo
flying across unknown streets
with all the wonder and excitement
And pleasure of the world

“Tapping”

A child is tapping on my glass
Angrily, Insistently
Inside my cage I roar and I rage
Stand up! Do what I say!
The animals bellow

“Tako”

Octopus escaping on the cooking street
Walking by our eyes happen to meet
Tentacles freeze climbing over the side
Gazing at each other we both stop and think

“Prairie”

Warm beer on the prairie
Waving sea of grass
Great ocean of blue sky
A Mongol horselord riding
'Cross the endless world

“The new world”

Rivers roll towards the great middle sea
Engineered valleys and Al dreams
Boom town ports of the new Humanity

“Prison Art”

There's a Charizard in Segregation Cell 210
It's big, 10 feet off the ground
I don't understand
How it was drawn up there
Flame breath and iconic tail
Claws, wings, and fangs
It's the best Charizard I've ever seen
It fills me with wonder
I'm lucky to see
Like my first Artist Alley
or time on Akiba's streets
here, surrounded by filth and prisoners' screams
It's a peaceful somehow Holy scene

B