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Only a Blockhead

Chigasaki and Beverly

"No man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money."

Interests: books, art, photography, beauty, pleasure, the world, politics, everything, poetry

Recent Activity

January 25

In the off season The rice paddy scarecrows take Wayside retirement On country byways Anatomical correctness Ensures straw allure Ancient profession In service to human need Rice paddy scarecrow Continue reading

Posted 7 hours ago at Only a Blockhead

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January 24

In bitter winter It points to warmer seasons Bamboo dragonfly Craftsman’s handiwork Souvenir of long ago Bringing pleasure still New book notice (C.S. Lewis’s A Grief Observed): scroll down the right column to “Books Julian Read Recently.” Continue reading

Posted yesterday at Only a Blockhead

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January 23

Chill night; lying in A hot, citrus-scented bath: One kind of heaven Continue reading

Posted 2 days ago at Only a Blockhead

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January 22

Night as cold as ice And the following morning A f... Continue reading

Posted 3 days ago at Only a Blockhead

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January 21

Fine winter morning Balconies drip with bedding Airing in the sun Ah, sun-warmed futon! The joy of sleeping In a fluffy cotton cloud Continue reading

Posted 4 days ago at Only a Blockhead

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January 20

This week celebrates the season. Leafstorm! Gusty winds bring raining down The last of autumn’s canopy A classic haiku: Over the wintry forest, winds howl in rage with no leaves to blow --Soseki Natsume (1867-1916), Translation: Shigematsu Soiku Continue reading

Posted 5 days ago at Only a Blockhead

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Sunday, January 19

Today, at my age A nap in the winter sun Is my happiness Continue reading

Posted 6 days ago at Only a Blockhead

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January 18

Once in a decade Filling the whole house The smell of new tatami Ah, tatami mats To live on; sleep on at night Passing perfect days Continue reading

Posted 7 days ago at Only a Blockhead

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January 17

The temple precincts Stand apart from life’s frenzy Oasis of peace Continue reading

Posted Jan 16, 2025 at Only a Blockhead

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January 16

By a backstreet path Someone thought to decorate A drain with bamboo Continue reading

Posted Jan 15, 2025 at Only a Blockhead

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January 15

In an open field The smoke from a farmer’s fire Te... Continue reading

Posted Jan 14, 2025 at Only a Blockhead

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January 14

Mist on a winter morning cloaks beauty with a greater beauty still Above the path it looms Ghost of a legend’s past Nagashima’s hill* *Baseball legend Shigeo Nagashima trained here. He jogged along the path–on a Kano river levee built after the disastrous 1958 floods–and ran up the steep hillside.... Continue reading

Posted Jan 13, 2025 at Only a Blockhead

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January 13: Coming of Age Day

Weekend in winter The high school baseball club Does frog jumps in the rain Those times they gave their all To school and to sports club Making memories Continue reading

Posted Jan 12, 2025 at Only a Blockhead

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Sunday, January 12

Piled before the shrine New Year decorations Ready for the bonfire With New Year over Sending the harvest god home Burning the traces Continue reading

Posted Jan 11, 2025 at Only a Blockhead

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January 11

How generous hot coffee On a cold morning Warming hands, stomach, heart From a friend: “I am two or three cups of coffee into Saturday.” Continue reading

Posted Jan 10, 2025 at Only a Blockhead

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January 10

When windy and wet The station makes ready for Broken umbrellas* (*or umbrellas you can’t be bothered to haul around anymore) Continue reading

Posted Jan 9, 2025 at Only a Blockhead

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January 9

Fifteen cars... endless Trains ply the urban line Rapid caterpillars Clean, comfortable efficient public transport makes travel a joy Continue reading

Posted Jan 8, 2025 at Only a Blockhead

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January 8

Just a wayside restroom But adorned with Lovely flowers all year round Continue reading

Posted Jan 7, 2025 at Only a Blockhead

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January 7

Morning and evening Dogs and their minders walk here With nothing left behind Continue reading

Posted Jan 6, 2025 at Only a Blockhead

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January 6

Ex-convenience store Empty for two years And not one broken window I once chafed at the lack of liberty. Now I’m grateful to live in a culture that is largely peaceable, predictable and safe because it puts consideration of others before oneself. This coming week celebrates that. Continue reading

Posted Jan 5, 2025 at Only a Blockhead

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January 5

Serendipity Bestows the candidate A graffiti halo We stress and strive, yet Doesn’t random happenstance Really rule our lives? Continue reading

Posted Jan 4, 2025 at Only a Blockhead

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January 4

Season by season Year by year Time alone abrades the garden gate A new year begins Every year the house and I Just a bit older Continue reading

Posted Jan 3, 2025 at Only a Blockhead

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January 3

Sacred straw; rice cakes New Year offerings For the guardian of the way Eating auspicious food On a sunny morning Third day of New Year Continue reading

Posted Jan 2, 2025 at Only a Blockhead

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January 2

Kadomatsu New Year decorations Fit to house the harvest god In stores at New Year No background muzak; instead Spare, pure gagaku* *ancient court music of ethereal beauty Over New Year the rich, the poor, all of us rub shoulders at the shrine Continue reading

Posted Jan 1, 2025 at Only a Blockhead

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January 1

In a peaceful nation This clear and quiet morning A new beginning On New Year’s morning A mailbox full of cards From folks I didn’t send one to Continue reading

Posted Dec 31, 2024 at Only a Blockhead

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