Trump – Icarus – Black Ash

( I posted this when Trump was elected. Here it is again with one edit.)

There will be no haiku poems on Trump for the next four years in respect for Basho, Issa, and all the Japanese haiku poets who found beauty, elegance, inspiration, meaning and simple joy in nature, people and our universe and who sought and found the most select language ever available to share this with us. But…I will still write non-haiku, loosely written verses:
Trump
The gigantic kite soars
Toward the hot orange sun
Deaf to voices from Icarus’ flight,
Deaf to our Fathers whose wisdom, ignored,
He hurtles down and buries
The country in black ash.

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Me Body Me Boss

Mr. Uyeki was a first generation immigrant from Japan who went to Hawaii after being lured by posters promising white mansions and exotic palm trees and beaches.  His first home was a Quonset  house. He labored in the sugar cane fields. He eventually became a very proud U.S. citizen. When he was in his late 80’s, he had a knee replacement surgery and refused all pain killers. The hospital staff and his physician couldn’t talk him into taking the drugs when he shouted, “Me Body, Me Boss.”

Mr Uyeki is gone now, but  I  hear his  voice, loud and clear:  Me Body, Me Boss!

Thank you, Uyeki-san.

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Hope

The song is dead.

The swordsman takes

The Victor’s stance.

But somewhere, still

A newborn child

Hears the promised song.

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The Plus Side

I need to be positive for our country so:

1. He will get rid of Obamacare and he and all the insurance companies are

going to pay for all our insurance. What’s a few trillions for him?

 

2. He will build that wall so U.S. citizens don’t need to escape over to the other side.

 

3. A month after being in office, he will use his money and not wait for Congress and

and will start all the factories going as he promised. Jobs for everyone.

 

4. A good role model: We don’t have to pay taxes like our president. Think of how much we’ll save.

 

5. Men, you can grope women like your role model.

 

6. Labor laws: He will return all his made in China ties and suits and all products will be made in US. More jobs and factories.

7. Toy companies on the rise for our economy…with Barbie Doll as the new woman.

Stay tuned for more positives…

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Time to Raise our Flag

It will take more than signs bearing Love, or Black Lives Matter to fix what’s broken in our our country. I heard the mayor of Dallas advising us to use the right words and immediately he used the word “killer.” Previous to his interview, they gave the background of the man who shot the officers. He fought in Afghanistan, was taught to be a shooter, got awards for this. Yes, we taught and trained him to fight for our flag. He returned to the country who sent him off to war with our American flag on his uniform and finds his fellow citizens being shot by our law enforcers, the most current one because of a broken  light on his car. How can one process all this when this wheel has been turning and turning far too long?

I remember when I was stopped by a kind officer, reminding me that I was driving over the speed limit  or my safety check decal on my license showed renewal time. They were concerned about me, my safety. They didn’t punish me. But then I’m not black, am I?

I was in someone’s kitchen in Ohio once and the N word was part of the conversation. I asked, “Why am I here since I’m not white?”  I was told, “Oh, but you’re not black.”

I knew then that racism will always be with us because just as they would not be able to turn me into one of them, I would not be able to change their minds about color.Maybe a system that doesn’t involve feelings and personal beliefs will be the way to go. I don’t know.

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What really matters tomorrow

To President Obama in Hiroshima and candidates promising a better world…this is

from the children :

 

Voice from the Unborn

You promised me, eons ago,

A world, free of battlefields, soldiers, children

Abandoned  in fear and hunger.

You offered me Hope, again and again.

A world, you said, where we will stand

Hand in hand, beyond  color, religion, gender, age,

One race. One humanity.

 

You promised me a world

Free of poison in oceans, earth and air.

“You  are the future”, you told me,

“Come and be born in this world I will

Create  for  you.”

 

My brothers and sisters who believed you

Are now old men and women, and they wait.

They wait.

 

Listen to my voice, your unborn child.

 

Eons ago, you sliced the chrysanthemum

Off  its stalk and left it

Naked in the sun.

 

Over the ashes of Hiroshima,

Our victory was hailed.

Beneath that, my ancestors lay buried.

 

Stop using me, your unborn child

For promises and meaningless  rhetoric.

The future is now.  I can’t wait any longer.

The future is now.  I want to be  born.

Today.

©Frances  Kakugawa

 

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The Tax-Man Cometh

 

I went in to have my taxes done today. Before the accountant began, he slowly opened my files, took out the following and said, “Right on.” It’s a letter to the Sacramento Bee published last year during the din of legislators caught with hands in unethical pockets. Senator Steinberg mandated a whole day workshop on ethics. I was surprised to see this, didn’t know it was published. So here it is, folks.

 

No Wand can fix Capitol Ethics

Re: Steinberg still thinks term can be a success” ( Page 1, May 10):Who taught Sen. Darrell Steinberg’s day of ethical training? Harry Potter?

 

This is indeed magical that a day’s program is expected to transform the damaged into whole ethical humans. I would bottle this and send it to Congress and to all the corrupted men and women there. I’m sorry , but it takes more than a day’s work and bills to rebuild conscience and ethics.

-Frances Kakugawa, Sacramento

Sacramento Bee

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Where’s My Gift, Santa?

Was I not good enough, Santa?

What happened to my wish list?

It wasn’t a long list. Maybe it got lost in the mail.

Here it is again. Maybe it’s not too late to have your elves work on this.

Dear Santa,

I notice your bag is getting heavier and heavier with stuff. It must be quite a burden on your poor back to haul all that around. And your beloved reindeer aren’t getting any younger. Dancer told me of his weak knees. My wish list has no weight. Wouldn’t it be something if we all gave you a list that weighs nothing…on scales, that is.

 

 Help us to live among fellow humans beings without legislative laws and rules on how to be kind, considerate, compassionate, responsible, humane.

 

Help us live with Peace, Love, Tolerance and Respect among all races, religions, isms.

 

This is a big one. Can you humanize, dignify, depoliticize Congress for the sake of each American? I hope your elves know how to bring dignity, respect, and what it means to be an American back into each man and woman in Congress by teaching them the meaning of these words.

 

Can you, from the North Pole, help save our planet and use your magic to take greed out of men and women who live with dollar signs instead of doing what is the right thing to do.

 

Santa, you don’t need to wait for next Christmas. Ummm…maybe if you showed this to Mrs. Claus, she’ll be able to work with the elves with more success.

frances

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Harry Potter to the CA Senate

 

Oh Wow. CA Senator Steinberg is having a day’s workshop for the Senate on how to be ethical.
Who’s doing the session, Harry Potter? This all sounds very magical. Imagine this, you can change the basic lack of conscience and the abundance of  corruptive behavior and lack of character through one day’s training! He also plans to pass some legislative bills. Wow again.
They ought to bottle this and take it to Congress and to  all 50 states. Imagine the magical results. If solutions are seen in such simplistic form,  it must mean the problems are also seen as such.

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Wordsworth Kidnapped by Chinese Gov’t

News Flash  The Chinese Gov’t confiscated all copies of  Wordsworth! Stop the Bulldozer from the printer in China.

Details not in.

Books were expected to arrive before my  book launch in Hilo, Hawaii, on October 20th.  Wordsworth has been sent to another printer, hopefully, books will arrive by air by the 24th.

So my book signing at the Book Gallery in Hilo has been postponed to another date.

As soon as I hear from Wordsworth, I’ll post it on my blog and FB. I have been informed Wordsworth  is fine.

Hilary Clinton, please get Wordsworth back. The irony of this is, the theme of the book is saving trees and if they destroy these books, they’ll be

killing the very trees Wordsworth is trying to save.

The rest of my schedule:

Frances’ Fall Schedule of Events:

October 11, 2012

Sacramento Buddhist Church

2401 Riverside Boulevard  Sacramento, CA 95818
(916) 446-0121

Dignity in Aging and Caregiving

7 p.m.

October 20, 2012 ( Postponed due to the Chinese Gov’t confiscating all copies of Wordsworth from the printer in China. Please watch media and blog for new date. Wordsworth is believed to be fine.)

Book Gallery

259 Keawe St

Hilo, HI

Book Signing for Wordsworth! Stop the Bulldozer!

10 a.m

October 26, 2012

Hawaii County on Aging:

Kona Regency at Hualalai

75-181 Hualalai Road

Kailua-Kona

Ph: 329-7878

Dignity in Caregiving

10 a.m.

October 27, 2012

Hawaii County on Aging

Hilo Adult Care

34 Rainbow Drive  Hilo, HI 96720
(808) 961-3747

Embracing Aging and  Caregiving / writing workshop

9:30 a.m.

November 1, 2012

Lions Club: Hawaii-Kai

Dignity in Aging and Caregiving

7 – 9 p.m.

November 10, 2012

Japanese Cultural Center

2454 Beretania St

Honolulu HI

Ph:945-7632

9:30-10: Discussion on Kapoho: Memoir of a Modern Pompeii

10-10:30: book signing with frances’ 7 books, which includes the new Wordsworth!

Stop the Bulldozer!

10:30-11:00: Dignity in Caregiving

November 14, 2012

AARP Conference

Ala Moana Hotel

Hibiscus Ballroom

410 Atkinson Dr

Honolulu, HI

Ph: 1-877-926-8300

Keynote address on caregiving/writing workshop

8:30 – Noon

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