my father
played piano
melodies
wandered
but he was steady

Dad
was to shy to dance
I
became a dancer
against all odds

time wears
down the cushions
a sitar drones
as pulse gets weaker
and feet can”t keep a beat

Dad
does this make you sad
as you recall
the earthly pains
before our final steps

ten years
after your death
you spoke
to me in a dream
I remember everything

your
warm tears
falling
from the sky
rinse away my fears

January 24, 2021

tanka for Dad

I walk the forest
where my father crawled
in snow-filled trenches —
can I be the man he was
without ever tasting war

after you died
we read your journals
stacks, files, hidden boxes full
of notes, poems, sketches of life–
Dad, you paved my way

Poems by Dad, I will post more soon.

THERE NEVER WAS A ROSE

I have given many Roses,
But they were only Roses.

Now I find,
When I try to give a Rose,

The flower is gone,
and all I give is love.
                          Tome Nakano, 1967