(Feeling) Down, (But Not Up) Set, Hike (ooh!)!!!!

東風寒さ

のろのろ車

無言礼

kochi samusa [The coldness of the East Wind]

noronoro kuruma [A car creeps along]

mugon rei [A mute salute]

I can't really say that we were friends. We rarely spoke. We weren't in the same department, and we were never assigned to the same grade. His sudden loss was still a shock. True, his reputation was kind of mixed, and a lot of students made fun of him, but they always did so in an affectionate way. The fact was that he was widely loved. His habit of giving a screaming gift of kiai (life energy), karate-style, to students that had trouble solving his math problems was one of the more colorful features of life at Ye Olde Academy. Hearing that howl from down the hall in the middle of a lesson period brought both a smile and a sense that an ancient spirit was somehow dwelling within these winding corridors. Now that howl is silent...as silent as the mass of students and teachers standing in mute respect as the hearse does a slow drive-by through the campus.

Cancer is such a horrible thing.

Some Haikus for the New Semester

October is like a new beginning. For one thing, the weather demons suddenly figured out it was autumn, flipped all the switches, and hot and muggy suddenly turned into chilly and rainy. The new semester has started at Ye Olde Academy, and the kids are back in their winter uniforms. The whole profile and tone of my work seems to be changing, but again, I can't really talk about that. It's a whole new season, a whole new chapter, and I need to kick-start my languishing muse. How about some haiku?

コスモスの
笑顔忘れた
と思った

kosumosu no
egao wasureta
to omotta

Translation:
I thought
I had forgotten the smiley face
Of the cosmos (flower).

朝予報
晴れ言ったのに
秋の雨

asa yohou
hare yutta no ni
aki no ame

Translation:
Even though
The morning forecast said clear,
It's autumn rain.

子供たち
芋頼んだが
ピザ食べた

kodomotachi
imo tanonda ga
piza tabeta

Translation:
The children
Ordered potatoes
But ate pizza.

雨の音
喜ぶ小鳥
困る猫

ame no oto
yorokobu kotori
komaru neko

Translation:
The sound of rain
Joyful birds
Troubled cat.

Hmm... Not satisfied. My muse really is being lethargic these days. Maybe it's time to start doing word verification verses again...