Remember
the sweetness of youth
when our future
was long and distant
touch a rainbow
Genie Nakano
Dulce
an untitled tanka
the silence
before the sun rises
too soon
daylight spreads
when will covid end…
Genie Nakano, December 19, 2020
Acting…Reacting~~ a free verse meditation
Acting ~~ Reacting…..
forgive me for my actions.
A willow of a wisp came out today to play
and make up for the way…
I’ve been acting … reacting
The rain and the breath of a death
wants to say…
Forgive me for my actions
They are ignorant
And know not what they do
Sparked by reckless restlessness
Now back to the breath
Release me from my thoughts.
Jeanne Nakano
This is and Oldie written back in 2007. However, it still applies for the present.
Thich Nhat Hanh
Feelings come and go
Like clouds in a windy sky
Mindful breathing
is my anchor.
Thich Nhat Hanh
Light and Air~~a tanka response
fear waits staccato
my sunken chest rises sharp
the clouded breath wafts
accosted by frigid air
reaching through the cracked window
soft belly
rises and falls
eyes closed
I pay attention
to my connection
timeless tradition
breeding safely within kin
unfettered I fly
my permeable will flows
one with the hidden senses
an empath
hypersensitive skin
inherited
yet I remain here
sponge-like absorbing
my delicate touch
raps upon the spectral shield
ethereal lights
guide haunting journeys beyond
parallel and united
no need
for anything more
why go on
let me die here
under your magic spell
Michael Murdoch, a WordPress blogger and Genie Nakano,a wordpress blogger. Together we blog--thank you Michael!!! 2020
Michael is in black and Genie is in purple and italicized.
The Golden Deer~~a tanka response
a tanka response by Genie Nakano and Susan Rogers…*
Hill top deer yearns for a pine branch the bough softens leans and bows a golden sunset glows bathed in gold the hills sing a ballad of light everywhere she turns divinity shines under pine trees matsutake mushroom reveal their fragrant scent a secret offering she kneels among pine needles giving gratitude for each blessing she has revealed hunters somewhere in the distance as twilight stills her muscles twitch the scent of blood is near in deep quiet cries of the fallen are arrows in her heart she slows her breath listens vibrations deeper louder faster she leaps into air with strength soars earth cannot hold her down high above pines Orion beckons piercing the dark with stars she rises to meet him A tanka Response: By Genie Nakano and Susan Rogers.Genie is in black print and Susan in Italic purple print. First published in "Storyteller" tanka by Genie Nakano, 2014 "The Heian era of 794-1185, is considered Japan's Golden Age in literary history where women writers were the predominant geniuses." (The Ink Dark Moon, Jane Hirshfield with Mariko Aratani). Tanka response or courtship and friendship tanka was developed and shared among lovers and friends. The Golden Deer is an example of a "tanka response".
Fat Brown Cat~~Meditation in Nowness
Meow Meow
Fat brown cat
licking your lap
what do you think
of this and that?
Hiss, spat!*#!
Don’t bother me
I’m being Now.
Genie Nakano, an oldie–can’t remember when…
Sweet Sublime Beat
A New World Sings
the train lost speed
and just plain stopped
everyone
got off and stood
staring at the tracks
mother cow
jumps over the old man
in the moon
milk spills everywhere
luna-tics start spraying silver bullets
deep in the forest
things settle into a snooze
while urban women
blare a new kind of music
you’ve got to hear it…
I can’t explain it
you just have to be here
dance and move
to a new formed rhythm
with a universal beat
Can’t
dream it nor stream it
must be in real time,
Right now, right now
let a new world sing
Clickety clack
the train picks up the beat
just like that
the train
is back on track.
GEnie Nakano
9/26/15
I wrote this poem years ago (9-26-15) coming out of the doldrums and slight depression. I edited it “just a little” to complement the way I feel today. I’m coming out of sadness and back on track.
Toto in Rainbow Meadows
Toto our loving dog of 17 years died last week. My husband had just came home from being in the hospital for four days. He had a mini-stroke. Then Toto passed 4 days later– October 22, 2020. I haven’t been able to write since–fortunately our good friend Irene Furukawa wrote this lovely prose for Toto…
They love you oh so very, very much, and are missing you terribly now. You have gone to Rainbow Meadows. All your hurting and pain are gone. You are perfect now. Thank you Toto, for all the wonderful and marvelous everyday moments you spent and gave to your dear family. Many of us relatives and friends of Hideki and Genie Knew and loved you. We will remember you with much love and affection. Enjoy now your operfect life in Rainbow Meadows and know that your are loved by many here on Planet Earth. Irene and Aki
Photos of Toto and Hideki by Genie Nakano
Genie Nakano 