A February Night

Fresh snow has smoothed out the
night landscape of forest and marsh.

Without moonlight, black and white shapes
become collages of ghosts and half-truths;
all stoic beneath a cloudy elixir of sky
mixed from blueberries and liquid copper.

I stop suddenly in breathless awe
before a cold pond punctuated with
lingering remnants of winter ice.

A building’s lights shimmer and pulse
on the crisp, watery surface just like fairy gowns,
made from bronze and lemon,
fluttering in the wind.

And all along their glowing hemlines
drift the dark and dreaming silhouettes
of Mallard ducks in restless slumber.


Just a peasant

Don't Trust Them

This is the proper stance when dealing with ALL politicians and religious zealots no matter what country they come from.

A Past Life

When I first started in music, I played in a lot of bands and in a lot of small clubs across the country; from Miami to Austin to Los Angeles and to so many more. I played small shows and big shows. I played for 12 years and the more I played the more I learned. It took both time and money, but one day I became proficient at what I did. Heavy Metal, Rock, Grunge, African Reggae. Once in awhile I got to hear myself on the radio and at one point I could even pay the bills. I never got rich or famous before my final show, but I got something actually more important to me – respect from my peers. It was not the practice that made me better; it was playing in front of people. Yet despite the effort, and even with these pictures, I remain anonymous as I doubt few would remember and none would recognize me today.

It is only with luck, by which we escape total oblivion.

-Just a peasant

Click photo to enlarge -拡大するために写真をつけなさい

Outside the Laboratory

The war drums continue sounding in the deep while circus-clown pants are still flown as pennants of national pride.

How can I respond except to say:

“Thanks for the offer, but I’d rather be a pig than a fascist.”
-Porco Rosso

The Moon of Ogurusu in Yamashiro

The Moon of Ogurusu in Yamashiro
Yoshitoshi Taiso 1839-1892

The peasant seems wary of the approaching samurai elite but also looks prepared to fight.