Friday, March 18, 2022

Dean Okamura

"Flowering tree" Befunky, watercolor dlx 1, warmer tones 3 (2022)

A fantasy spring

   

                        A fantasy 

just 

        out of      reach 


                                Grabs hold 

        of 

                my attention. 


                                            I wonder, 

                        Were 

you 

        always there?      Present? 


                                Alleluia 

        just 

                inside      struggling 


                                        Embers 

                of 

                        my belief. 


                                            I wonder, 

                        Were 

you 

       always there?      A spring 


                                Refreshing 

        waters 

                deep in      the ground 


                                        Deep 

                inside 

                        my soul. 


                                            I wonder, 

                        Why did I 

never 

        accept      these graces? 


                                        Why did I 

                chase 

                        my silly ambitions?




"Nightingale in field of sunflowers" (2022)

Pure fantasy

   

The bear performed poésie argumentative 

filled with scenes of female intimacies. 


A protest of violation, gross unfair treatment 

that no man could challenge without broaching offense. 


His schemes hidden 

beneath layered skirts of feminine privacy. 


Bears, he said, 

Must roam vast fields of sunflowers. 


Then emphasized 

green traditional lands of far eastern bears. 


Next, these scholars 

listened to a tiny nightingale. 


They expected a cheerful song of spring, 

yet the young bird could not embody the melody. 


Simple feelings said little bird, 

Mister bear never mentioned love. 


Simple wishes sang little bird,  

Let me tell you a secret. 


The male scholars followed 

the child’s advice. 


They resigned their seats to — 

Loving mommies. 




"Existence drifts" (figurine by Hiroko Igeta) (2022)

Touched 


Can a fiery dream take you away? 


                            You lose your mind. 

                                 Your body still functions. 

                            Your soul explores secret, unspeakable worlds. 


                     The heart beats, lungs fill with air, stomach digests food, 

               nutrients replenish, micro-operations at every level continue. 

                              Lungs breathe out, colon empties, bladder releases, 

                your body’s pilgrimage treks through imaginary landscapes. 

                                     Or maybe it doesn’t travel but stays stationary 

                                         to retain its two-meter space in the universe. 


                        Existence drifts 

                   dreamless, 

                        voiceless, 

                   timeless, 

                        unconsciousness. 


                                               The body sleeps, waiting for your return. 

                                                                         The return of your mind. 

                                              The end of the dream that took you away. 


It started when you blew out your first birthday candle. 


                           The fumes of particles disappeared into the sky. 

                              Not gone forever, but came back spark of ash, 

                           becoming parts of the candle again. 


We eagerly await the candle’s renaissance. 

     We do. 

We wait. 


Yet, no one has seen the wonderful candle 

     smiling 

untouched by fire. 



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