Time passing -
Is not the tick, tick, tick, of the movies.
It is a barely audible, high-pitched ringing in your ears.
It is the low thrum of a distant compressor somewhere.
It is the sound of the long shadows brushing against the wall.

Time passing -
It is the fabric rustle of changing your position in a chair.
A cat padding along the oak floorboards of the hallway.
An electric cube powering a computer.
The sizzle of speakers turned on with nothing playing.

Time passing -
I hear it from a silent telephone,
From the idle doorknob and hinges.
From wooden steps leading to my front door.

Time passing -
It is all of this,
And nothing.
So much nothing.

whish whish* is the sound of a suffering
the sound of blood as it squirts
the most exquisite and horrendous fountain
loaded with a despairing call
a siren's ring
because it stings the depths of  the heart
to the very end, from the dreadful start
whish whish is the sound of suffering
the sound of wheels turning
because there was an exit before, there always is
most often it's more than I'm willing to give
whish whish is the sound of suffering
it is the sound of those crying
there is pleading, wailing, sighing
'fore the fates bring forth dying
and there is death in life, thoughts, wisdom, courage
it comes with age, but time's the liveliest gift received
we are deceived if we think we turn each page
whish whish is the sound of a suffering
it's the sound of what's missed
if we had asked before
we mightn't be adorned with the weight
the burden, the baggage, the fate
the mystery is missing
there's hissing in the past
those last faulty choices have played with our cast

If you see me
tell me to take your hand,
to stop the fall, to finally land,
before I reach the bottom of a black-bearded abyss.
Don't miss,
oh, and maybe one more kiss
before I see me
pulling everything away.

My eyes couldn't pound
through the seductive sound
the click
tick
stick
of the lock.
You saw me
your fingers tucked
deep in the pockets of your silence.

little dark girl with
kind eyes
when it comes time to
use the knife
I won't flinch and
i won't blame
you,
as I drive along the shore alone
as the palms wave,
the ugly heavy palms,
as the living does not arrive
as the dead do not leave,
i won't blame you,
instead
i will remember the kisses
our lips raw with love
and how you gave me
everything you had
and how I
offered you what was left of
me,
and I will remember your small room
the feel of you
the light in the window
your records
your books
our morning coffee
our noons our nights
our bodies spilled together
sleeping
the tiny flowing currents
immediate and forever
your leg my leg
your arm my arm
your smile and the warmth
of you
who made me laugh
again.
little dark girl with kind eyes
you have no
knife. the knife is
mine and i won't use it
yet.

There are

    leaves on the ground.

There are

    few in the trees—

    that hung on during winter;

    that will be the first to go

    come October.

Slowly
walking, thinking, being
Slowly
Learning, Understanding, Teaching
Slowly
Feeling, hurting, relieving
Slowly
step by step
day by day
breath by breath

It's always going so slowly
I’d make a snow angel
But I’m afraid of the frost bite
Want the sun to come down
Make it all alright
Is it alright?
Is it okay?
I heard a branch broke under you
I know you’re a high climber
One timing
Two timer  
Watch yourself, little girl.

I broke into a birdsnest
Why?
To get a couple feathers and fly
To get a couple feathers and fly
I broke into a birdsnest
Why?
To get a couple feathers and fly

You broke your word
You broke my neck
I broke myself
Tried to get you back
I awoke in hell
Know what satan said?
Said "you're better off dead"
So I knew I had to live.

I broke into a birdsnest
Why?
To get a couple feathers and fly
To get a couple feathers and fly
I broke into a birdsnest
Why?
To get a couple feathers and fly

I think in Japanese,
write down my thoughts in English,
then twist it all back into sushi:
a tasty bite to eat.

My mind is like origami
folding thoughts into meditation;
meditation unfolds
into a crisp sheet of city lights.

I love you big much,
love you big time;
I love the way you giggle nervously.
Titter-titter,
"Tee-hee-hee!"
It must be amazing to find everything so funny.

Big city, sake sunset;
a karaoke moon rises
over a robotic, neon inception.
(transmutation)
Transformers, Transformers:
autobotic-neurotic Bumblebee
comes to the aid of Samurai Prime.
"Autobots, transform!!"

Bored of the bright lights?
Weary of the snappy-happy gaijin
doing photo-photo
while they look for a sweet sakura-panpan?
Then take a leisurely stroll up to Hokkaido,
where there's less sucky-sucky,
and more bow-down-low-austerity
alongside the 108 gongs a-bonging.
Chant a few prayers,
speak with the sacred cedars,
take a dip in the hot springs
with some smiling monkeys,
and watch snow fall, together.

Nippon, you offer everything.
I can eat 20 times a day
without gaining a pound.
There's always more room
for miso, chanko nabe, shabu-shabu,
gyozo, okonomiyaki—
I am going to stop writing this list
so that I don't drown in my saliva.

I refuse to look back,
refuse to go back to the boredom
of white picket fences and hamburger dreams;
I want to stay here forever.
I love you big much,
love you big time;
totemo ureshii da.




March 1st, 2012

broken pieces, are all getting joined back, slowly, slowly..
all those incoherent notes are now joining together, slowly, slowly..
the hazy face of mirror is playing, slowly, slowly..

A little life has lost its childhood,
it slept covered with the ***** sheet of fear..
helpless, alone, mute, it wept in silence..

These tears running for years, are stopping, slowly, slowly,
the eyes which were closed till now are opening, slowly, slowly.
The hazy face of mirror is playing, slowly, slowly..

I lived in disregard of myself always,
I drank the poison he dissolved (in my life)..
Hiding in the cover of silence, he committed a crime..

That lock put on the tongue, is opening, slowly, slowly..
There is no mistake of mine, I am getting to know, slowly, slowly..

                                                                                                                        -ram sampath