She brightens his darkness
and softens his edges,
yin and yang of love.
poetry
Haiku #50
Here lies cigarettes
and bottle caps in dirt lot
with stories untold
This Saturday, I participated in the Hayward City Clean Up volunteer day and was assigned a certain street to pick up trash. It was a rewarding experience to contribute to improving the city. I was surprised to see so many cigarette butts littered on sections of the street (especially near certain apartment complexes). At the corner of an empty dirt lot, we found a lot of cigarette butts and bottle caps. While I am not supportive of smoking, drinking or littering, I do wonder who these people are. Why do they smoke and why do they drink? Is it for fun, to relieve stress or to drown out their sorrows? Did they drink and smoke alone, or in a group? What is their life story? Cleaning up trash is a reactive approach to beautifying the city. Over time, it may provide a healthier neighborhood. However, what is the root cause of the problem? What can we do to be more proactive to prevent this type of litter from happening in the first place? Everyone’s story is worth hearing.
Haiku #49
A quiet morning
curled up on the recliner
reading a good book
After a week of constant meetings and deadlines, it was a blessing to hold a physical, tangible book to escape to a time before modern day technology and all of the noise, chatter and distractions that come with it. Sometimes you just need to slow down in order to catch up 🙂
Haiku #48
Breathing mountain air
among rows of moss-covered stones
a smiling Rakan
Haiku #47
Petals paint the floor,
I dance through a pink runway
Cherry blossom rain
Haiku #46
Curled into a ball
His body rises and falls
Doggie’s midday nap
Haiku #45
She stood there waiting
next to the cherry blossoms
until the sun set
Kamikochi
Breathing in the fresh mountain air,
I absorb the landscape before me.
Standing tall beneath the wispy clouds,
the mountain embraces the river.
Sandy brown, granite gray,
with streams of white pebbles
flowing down the slopes.
Flowing to
a richer part of the mountain
covered with yellow-green grass,
surrounded by auburn trees,
next to the white pebble beach
by the blue-green water.
The sun shines throughout.
Standing on Kappa Bridge,
I look dull in comparison,
for I am only one color,
the color of my skin.
However, when standing next
to my brothers and sisters
from all over the world,
we are also part of nature’s beauty,
varying colors standing together,
living in harmony.
Walking in the Kyoto Countryside
It’s been a while since I posted a poem as I have been very busy with life. Now that things are settling down, I was able to write a poem based on some of the photos I took on my vacation to Japan. I hope you enjoy it.
Walking in the Kyoto Countryside
by Jenny Katherine Luu
Wet soles walk
on a winding path
surrounded by weeds.
Footsteps washed away
by the pouring rain
Wind sings
with the rain.
Rain dances
on the umbrella,
on our faces,
on our bodies,
on the ground.
Rain falls
like jewels,
as we hop
to avoid puddles
reflecting
our soles.
Weeds, they waver
in the wind.
Raindrops cling to weed,
sparkling in the sun,
like lovers
afraid to let go,
like teardrops
about to fall
from the lid
of the eye.
In the distance, I see
a marshland, showered
with rain,
and a wooden bridge
with many legs
like a centipede,
extending farther
than the eye could see.
Washed with rain,
the bridge glistens
in the sun,
as if the surface
were covered with sweat
from bearing the weight
of all who crossed.
She wears a cotton hat.
She rides her bike
across the bridge.
I watch
as she passes me.
Here in the country,
there is no sound
but wind and rain,
no concept of time,
just you and me.
I watch the Earth.
I watch the grass.
I watch the rain.
I witness life.
Haiku #44
Wild coyote
chasing small prey down the hill
locking eyes with me.
Whisperings 