travel Okinawa Poetic Reflections

[jakecaller]

Okinawa War thoughts

 

these dark moods

follow me 

as I tour Okinawa

 

where the last battles 

of world war 11 were fought

 

thousands died

in the first 

and last outpost

of the American East Asian Empire

 

 

Okinawa Beckons me

 

Okinawa Japan

kept calling to me

in a dream

notifying me 

always in the background

where my memories

always waiting for me 

 

Beckons me

everywhere I go

cosmic reflections

of past lives

never seen before

seems lost in time 

maybe just the spirits of the dead 

everywhere I see ghosts 

 

 

Okinawa Street Scene

 

Walking the streets

of Fabled Naha Okinawa

a life time dream

someday I would visit

 

I am surrounded 

by ghosts of the past

 

and Japanese beauties

all around me

 

tempting me

with their sweet smiles

 

Impure thoughts

fill my head

as they smile at me

and I smile at them

 

No wonder 

so many Soldiers

brought back 

Japanese wives

 

Japanese Coffee Barista

 

watching the Japanese

 coffee barista

 

preparing my snarling cup 

of hot boss coffee 

 

fills my heart

with erotic joy

 

how I wanted to express

what was on my mind

 

right then

to the Japanese 

coffee barista

 

 

Ghosts of Okinawa  add to Ghosts Poems - post as separate poems 

 

Ghosts of Okinawa 

 

Touring the battlefields 

of Okinawa

 

where so many young men

gave up their life

so many years ago

 

I see the ghosts 

all around me

feel their spirits

floating through the air

 

Kilroy was here

there and everywhere

whoever that was 

 

and John Dean wannabes

and Elvis wannabes

 

and so many other wannabes

and I see the ghosts of the fallen heroes

all around me

 

 

 

Signs

everywhere in Asia

you see strange variations

of English

Japlish, Konglish, Singlish

 

the street signs in Okinawa

are all in Chinese, Japanese, English and Koreans

the bus and train announcements as well

 

Hard to get lost 

even when you want to

 

but the random encounters

with English words

puts a smile on my face

 

as I drink my “boss coffee”

wondering who is the “boss” 

and why is smoking a pipe?

 

and many years ago

I saw on a menu

at the old Kimpo Airport

Baked Rick

 

and in Korean grocery stores

one can find 

corn flights

 

I look forward 

to many more years

of linguistic confusion

as I travel about Asia

Dream 1074 Visit to Okinawa Aquarium

 

Whenever I visit an aquarium, 

zoo or wild life park

 

I am reminded of a prison

the prison is filled with animals

who amuse us for their food

 

I am sure that the animals

hate us humans

who are watching them

do their animal thing

 

but looking into their eyes

the eyes of the sea turtles

swimming back and forth

 

in their prison cell 

in the Okinawa aquarium

filled with hatred 

for the humans

who had imprison them

and hunt their kind 

 

and don’t get me started

on the dolphins and killer whales

who preform acrobatic feats

for their daily meals

 

and the sharks

the king of the ocean killers

 

they too

if they could

they surely would 

 

escape

their prison cell

 

screaming 

Death to all humans 

as they flee

back into the ocean’s depths

Okinawa West Coast Road

Riding down the west coast road

of Okinawa

echoes of other beach roads

fill my head with memories

 

I am reminded of Hawaii

and driving along the Oregon coast

east coast beach towns as well

 

and Barbados

and the Caribbean islands

 

all the roads 

are lined with tourist resorts

beach views and restaurants

 

all very similar

yet different

 

and as the beach towns

fade away

behind us on the bus

 

my memories

of all the other beach towns

I have visited

 

fade away

into my memory hole

 

Okinawa Haiku

 

In Okinawa

the warm trade winds blow away

the coming winter 

[Tinker]

Hi Jake ,  This small collection of poems is amongst the most interesting of your collections so far.    I love them as a collection but I kind of wanted to savor them as individual poem poems too.  I hope you don't mind, but they are so much easier to read, tightened  on the page.  The editor in me couldn't resist.

I especially love that you ended the collection with a haiku, so appropriate.  

~~Tink 

6 hours ago, jakecaller said:

Okinawa War thoughts these dark moods follow me as I tour Okinawa where the last battles of world war 11 were fought thousands died in the first and last outpost of the American East Asian Empire             ~~~	Okinawa Beckons me Okinawa Japan kept calling to me in a dream notifying me always in the background where my memories always waiting for me  Beckons me everywhere I go cosmic reflections of past lives never seen before seems lost in time maybe just the spirits of the dead everywhere I see ghosts             ~~~~
Okinawa Street Scene Walking the streets of Fabled Naha Okinawa a life time dream someday I would visit I am surrounded by ghosts of the past and Japanese beauties all around me tempting me with their sweet smiles Impure thoughts fill my head as they smile at me and I smile at them No wonder so many Soldiers brought back Japanese wives         ~~~	Japanese Coffee Barista watching the Japanese coffee barista preparing my snarling cup of hot boss coffee  fills my heart with erotic joy how I wanted to express what was on my mind right then to the Japanese coffee barista      ~~~
Ghosts of Okinawa  (add to Ghosts Poems - post as separate poems )         Touring the battlefields of Okinawa where so many young men gave up their life so many years ago I see the ghosts all around me feel their spirits floating through the air Kilroy was here there and everywhere whoever that was  and John Dean wannabes and Elvis wannabes and so many other wannabes and I see the ghosts of the fallen heroes all around me       ~~~	Signs everywhere in Asia you see strange variations of EnglishJaplish, Konglish, Singlish the street signs in Okinawa are all in Chinese, Japanese, English and Koreans the bus and train announcements as well Hard to get lost even when you want to but the random encounters with English words puts a smile on my face as I drink my “boss coffee” wondering who is the “boss” and why is smoking a pipe? and many years ago I saw on a menu at the old Kimpo Airport Baked Rick and in Korean grocery stores one can find corn flights I look forward to many more years of linguistic confusion as I travel about Asia            ~~~
Dream 1074 Visit to Okinawa Aquarium Whenever I visit an aquarium, zoo or wild life park I am reminded of a prison the prison is filled with animals who amuse us for their food I am sure that the animals hate us humans who are watching them do their animal thing but looking into their eyes the eyes of the sea turtles swimming back and forth in their prison cell in the Okinawa aquarium filled with hatred for the humans who had imprison them and hunt their kind  and don’t get me started on the dolphins and killer whales who preform acrobatic feats for their daily meals and the sharks the king of the ocean killers they too if they could they surely would escape their prison cell screaming Death to all humans as they flee back into the ocean’s depths         ~~~ Okinawa Haiku	Okinawa West Coast Road Riding down the west coast road of Okinawa echoes of other beach roads fill my head with memories I am reminded of Hawaii and driving along the Oregon coast east coast beach towns as well and Barbados and the Caribbean islands all the roads are lined with tourist resorts beach views and restaurants all very similar yet different and as the beach towns fade away behind us on the bus my memories of all the other beach towns I have visited fade away into my memory hole          ~~~
In Okinawa the warm trade winds blow away the coming winter

 

 

[A. Baez]

I'll comment here on the first, main section of poems. It's interesting how these widely varied scenes from Okinawa play off each other and collectively form a complex composite. But I was wanting to hear something more vivid, more specific, in the first part, to bring it to life, rather than just very general reportage skimmed off a history book. The shift from past to present tense in the second part didn't seem particularly warranted, and there seems to be an "are" missing between "memories" and "always." Also, I'm wanting to see a clearer distinction between the third part and the second--in the third, you refer again to the ghosts. Maybe this could be effective if they were presented in a markedly different manner, developing this theme somehow. I did find it emotionally effective how you began with a sweeping dramatic, historical scope and in the end, you narrowed your focus down to a very mundane, personal incident between you and a barista.  

[dr_con]

I enjoyed these ! A marvelous tapestry of Okinawa images past/present with a longing for future. Liked the way that Tinker presented, since it was easier to read as a page rather than the slow unwinding.

 

Many Thanks,

DC&J

[tonyv]

This series was very much to my liking. There's a pleasing mix consisting of an on-going account of the mundane in what (to me) is an exotic location, which seques into insights of the speaker's own state of mind, including his not-farfetched conclusions about things he cannot know e.g. the animals' states of mind. (Although, I personally am with him when it comes to those speculations.) I love the haiku at the end, and how you end the series with the haiku.

Tony