Bump
into surprise
leap into miracles
Genie Nakano
1/22/22
Published in Haikuniverse: 1/30/2022
leap~~haiku
Believe
My Corner Windows
is a Hiroshige scene…
My corner windows
where I watch the world
I see you
but you can’t see me
the world is a Hiroshige scene
My corner windows
where I watch my scented garden
grow and thrive
Inhale gratitude
Exhale peace
I’m the fool on the hill
who knows the world
is not safe anymore
my childhood playground
torn down and gone.
No more playing
hide and seek on urban streets
amber alerts
bullets fly through our homes
schools churches malls — massacred.
Our children
what is your future
you do not deserve
the fate of our mistakes
I cry I pray I negotiate.
There’s always hope
I heard someone say
–I hope someday
that a smile is not an invitation
and children can play in the sun.
Genie Nakano, revised January 1, 2022,
original, published in Rafu Shimpo–July 18, 2019
catch a moment…
I want
to be nobody for now
watch the sky
turn colors
while sipping tea
then somebody
pops in again
and screams for more
haven’t got much time left
gotta gotta gotta
what’s the hurry
let the breeze catch me
why
rush
destiny
re-arranging
pieces of my mind
while
the wind echos
centuries
catch
moments
before
they
fall…
Genie Nakano, December 4, 2021, revised
Tanka to Eat–Cold December by Genie Nakano Spillwords.com
Spillwords.com presents: Christmas 2016 – Tanka to Eat…. written by Genie Nakano – I was born in Boyle Heights, CA…known as the barrios of East L.A.
Source: Tanka to Eat…. written by Genie Nakano at Spillwords.com
Okane–Lakshmi–$
Money money money
How much do you make
How much do you take
beads, sugar and spices
let’s trade with good will
Ask a person
how much money do you make
it’s unpresidential
or “how old are you”
impolite–crude and crass
My income–
Retirement–450 dollars a month
Social Security
It’s all so boring and petty
I’m 73 and moving up
A billionaire friend of mine
asked what’s this issue about money
can we travel
on higher ground and–
don’t let your dog poop on my lawn
It’s only money
lying, dying, crying
craving
a paper moon
let’s stir a melting pot
A stranger came to town
claiming he could make stew
from a rusty nail
(a childhood story I recall)
then everyone pitched in…
Onions, garlic, scallions from one
potatoes from another
one small carrot
wild herbs growing on the grounds
green beans, red beans, black beans, soy beans
yams, sweet potatoes, dried persimmons,
nasubi, daikon, mushrooms,
vintage bottles of sake
on and on and on
And then…
Endo San played taiko, Kamiya San played sanshin
the full moon grew brighter, fuller,
the singing, dancing, laughter grew bolder
the sky ripped wide open,
And then…
Tick Tock~~Free verse
There's an error sorry the number #44 is a typographical error when I tried to move my poem to wordpress. Hope you understand??
my lover~~Tanka
my lover tells
all my secrets
nothing stays inside
a paper sliding door
torn by the wind
Genie Nakano
The Canyon Poets~~featuring Genie Nakano
IDENTITY“`tanka
I was born
with two strikes
against me
Asian and…
my mother didn’t like me
I wanted to be golden wear a curly blonde crown of Shirley Temple locks Into my teens I streamed, oye orale pues orale pues I poemed my story right on write on Blackness became my call I danced the moves wore the hats and sang off key Now at 73 a hybrid a tribrid a unitard something in between a floating world I was, will be, I am genie Nakano, 10.15.21
Genie Nakano 