Sur-Reality

Rajasthan India, 2010? photo: by Genie Nakano
Rajasthan India

We travel
to a foreign land
backpacks only
spoon to keep warm
whisper in empty rooms

shake the bed
’til the walls spin around
and cookie crumbs fall
off the bed
into our hungry mouths

surreal dreams
turn real as clocks melt
from Dali’s trees
time turns
into timelessness

our breath
heats the air
a tropical breeze
blows in from the south
fragrant with plumeria

aurora borealis illuminates our walls



across the stage
we slip and slide
the scenes
keep reeling on
I reach for an epiphany

I miss
the cry of Marukai*
seaweed in the aisles
sesame seeds saimin
shiso shoyu shochu

as we step out the outside
into the dawn

a camel
kneels to the ground
offers us a ride
a red sun summits the sky
across the dunes we fly


Genie Nakano

originally published in Rafu Shimpoo, 2014, I revised it on March 17, 2021
My husband and I loved to travel. Never went on tours– just took what may–back packs only and traveled light.


Dulce

Photo: by Genie Nakano

Remember
the sweetness of youth
when our future
was long and distant
touch a rainbow

Genie Nakano

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. 


	


	







	

		
Light and Air~~a tanka response
	


	
	

		

Photo by Ben Mack on Pexels.com





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…*





Photo by Bibhukalyan Acharya on Pexels.com





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
	


	
			

				
			


		
	

		

Cat: photographed by Genie Nakano





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…





fat brown cat: Photographed by Genie Nakano