Thoughts of: Preparedness.

Bathed and top knot set

A head fragrant so not to offend;

The master of katana.

oooOooo

Shitabi, armor and daisho

May only seasons temper my wakizashi;

Death always within reach.

State your name and village.

It was a custom in battle to tell your opponent who you are and where you come from and visa versa, before
attacking eachother. In this way, battles were a personal statement of your reputation; while also serving to
honor your opponent.
Thoughts of: Battle.

Your name and village

Death honors all who meet my courage;

We each serve one outcome.

Ten thousand fight as one

Banners speak of fate; read the omen;

Blood red sky over these lands

A clash of different cultures.

 The Japanese found that the Portugese had an aversion to bathing daily and were astonded that Portugese
missionaries did not support their preaching that cleanliness was equal to Godliness.
Thoughts of: New change.

Foreigners come by sea

No devine wind will sink boats;

But that of change.

oooOooo

Strange western ways

That to bath; is not in style;

Yet speak of culture.

Kubuki: An act of no words.

 Kubuki theatre was a social event in which the male actors played all roles within the story set in music;
without words.
Thoughts of Kabuki.

What role plays you snake

Kabuki treachery or enemy within;

Your presence felt always.

Peace times were hard for the samurai warriors.

Trained for warfare; the thought of battle is never far from the warriors mind. Change was also hard to
counter.
Thoughts of: Future battles.

Oh times of peace
We long for the tanquility of war;

Stone gardens too complex.

oooOooo

Swift cold winds of change

All seasons now seem blended into one;

Katana be swifter than musket.

Okita of the tea house: Utamaru

Thoughts of: Okita.

I remember your smell

Heat and taste of carressing touch;

Okita; this tea so intense.

The tranquility of home scenes.

Like anyone visions of home held special place in the lives and thoughts of the samurai.
Thoughts of: Tenryu River.

Tears of distant hills

Blunt broken stones to unknown destiny;

Go; flow to your sea.

Friendship of one's peers.

Popularity and friendship ensured that in battle your back was covered from attack.
Thoughts of: Honored friends.

Faces of good friends lost

Saki cries out; finishing jokes made;

In battle we laugh again.

oooOooo

I remember you Tanaka

Your kabuto worn again by a son;

Quick of mind, like you.

Solitary skills equal survival.

 It was said that the ability to rise above adverse conditions made the worth a Samurai that of 100 basic
fighting men. Old age was not a reason to abandon the strength and skills of a Samurai.
Thoughts of: Growing old.
Snow showers scar tired wings

Blue clouds draw strength of will no more;

Rise wings; above all storms.

oo0oo

Take me to a battle;

This growing old is far too tame

Samurai don't wait to die.

ooo0ooo

A Warriors Winter Garden

Snow falls in the Garden

I feel their Blood on my Soul

I watch Granite Grow

Heavy are the Flakes

I honor the Spirit of my Foe

I watch Granite Grow

Cold is the Blanket

Steadfast am I in Duty

I See Granite Grow

A dark forest house
a mirage is all it is
evil lost to good

Love a god she did

a jealous rage she provoked
in flames she met death

Love, true love it was

to go down to hell and back
Alas! they both died!

Music, words, which first?

birthday, dance, cake, wine and song
then she dined alone

The kisses tremble.

Sweet pleasure eats a woman.
Full hands see lovers.

White threads of winter.

Stitched well, so tighly wound. Should
Barren heat prevail?

A chill autumn wind

The whisper of fallen leaves
A time of change

Budding blossoms
Herald Spring. Winter's grasp is
broken; life begins

Within the tumult,

The Crane stands, silent and strong
Nature does not change

The Sparrow flys free

Soaring through the summer skies
A joyous freedom

The plum trees flower,

Just as the maids beneath them.
Tonight I gather blossoms.

The frog croaks proudly,

but has never been accused
of being subtle.
Soft gasping maidens
Lilies swaying in the stream
A soft springtime blush.

An Utaku tongue
Has other warmth to address
And better uses.

Soft, warm, and willing

A sensuous gasp, breathless
Two bodies, one soul

Gentle waving grass

The sun burns round and crimson
Sake gleaming bright

bridge over river

in the middle of city
has the best sunset.

War without reason

Only leads to pain and death
What fool would want that?

Get out of your nest

Of paper and of parchment
The sun misses you!

Trees of beauty nude

When the cherry blossoms fall
All is vanity

Beauty fades with age

But even the oldest trees
Drop a thousand seeds

Lovely flower's bud

Covered in dew, reflecting
the brilliant sun's light.

Flashing sword cuts foe

blood spurting, falling upon
beautiful flowers.

There he stood alone

A single arrow prepared
He was a true Wasp

An unflinching eye
Surveys in perfect stillness
The dark skies below

A ship in emerald
Fallen from the sky too soon
Slowly floats away

Across calm waters

Rests two faces of a stone
The night has emptied

Every joy unfurled

The boisterous dragon turns
Not knowing the way

The swaggering ox
Bravely fends off advances
From flittering dames

The swaying willow

Dances for the gathered crowd
While she is alone

Flickering lanterns
Mark a road for the lady
To the rooster's praise

Tempered by the day

Faces in an amber field
Turn towards the north

The lonely mountain

Mourns for his brothe's passing
Down in the village

Banished by the dawn

A shadow's tender caress
The sweet dream recedes

Tears of yestereve
Hoarded in the weaver's home
Dry beneath the lines

Perched in white blossoms

As the eager flock takes flight
One remains behind
wa
Standing on one leg
A reed cannot be broken
The sage says to the stone

Petal in the wind

Slips between my outstretched hand
Like all the others

A final poem
I will plagiarize no more
After this last one

Cherish the blossom

For the coiled heart fears itself
And what it must do

Fields of flora bloom

Rising sun illuminates
Immortality

The first minstrel's notes

As the summer's night blossoms
come from cricket's song

Four Seasons, four loves

Spring, Summer, Winter, Fall
Only I remain

An ancient pond.
A frog jumps in.
The splash of water.

Masks falling, drifting.

an orchestra of brilliance
once unrecognized

A humming whisper
Feathers blossoming in throats
Unseen, stinging death.

Feathers glowing white,

hiding an iron shadow
words like steel are harsh

Sweet, ripe soft peaches

Wrapped in blue and white silk bows
Assuage many ills.
When Crane discourse fails,
a deterrent is sent for
nothing stops a Wasp.

Million Oni skulls

How many will I crush today?
The life of a Crab.

A song of arrows
Silences another song
And red flowers bloom?

The loss of a friend

Flickering flames before me
Gentle warmth comforts

Steadfast, loyal youth

His fool lord's honor preserved
Bright promise now ash
Blood a priceless coin ill spent
Only the shades halt my wrath

The noble koi fish

Embodying poetry
With every movement

Sometimes I wonder
So many beautiful Crane
But where are the men?

The path of Shadow

Leads quickly to great power
But devours the soul.

Dragon
Hidden in the clouds,
Ruler of high mountain-tops,
Source of mystery.

Scorpion
The sting comes quickly
When others dare to shed light
Upon their secrets.

Unicorn
Thunderous hoofbeats
That flatten all enemies
Leave allies behind.
a hundred small lives
in the shadow of the wall
cherry blossoms fall

while the ladies rouse

behind their screens of paper
a messenger waits

does the butterfly

await the invitation
of the dawn blossom?

"It would please me well

if the blossom's new raiment
included these things,"

"Only the sweetest

blossom would dare to appear
in honey splendor."

"Surely the blossom's

beauty is but a prelude
to sweeter nectar?"

"Heedless of honor,
the frivolous butterfly
sups with common blooms."

"The cherry blossom,

wandering like stray secrets,
falls far from the tree."

"No splendor compares

to the blossom's smile, but the
butterfly dares hope."

"From honey smile to

words that fly true as arrows,
this blossom lays pierced."

even amid storms

heart breaks, wave crashes, flute mourns
from darkness, a song

lady's silk slipper

waiting in my outstretched hand
butterfly at rest
his eyes upon mine
blood like blossoms on the blade
death's final mirror

unseen enemies
in a mantle of white clouds
fog will be our death

over one hundred

in a sea of death and blood
stand against the waves

will she wait for me?

beneath the kites and blossoms
dreamfall of dark hair

even amid storms

heart breaks, wave crashes, flute mourns
from darkness, a song

when blades cross and cross

again, when the shadows sing,
you shall see my face
blood writes me a path
away from jade and arrow
into winter's snare

O death, your hand rests

lightly, so lightly, upon
my waiting shoulder

O death, your shadow

more constant than the flowers
walks in my footsteps

"The snow knows my name

and whispers it to the night:
into darkness, death."

With an exquisite bow, Arioki replied,

"After one last song,

the birds soar ever southward
into summer's heart."

sun and sister fall

beyond the reach of music
from darkness, silence

Scorpion knives slick

With the blood of weaker men
As if that were new

The quiet sounds of

Unsullied waterfalls are
The best sounds for sleep

Against all of the

Worlds threats and many dangers
Stand brothers in arms

Trust, respect, and guile

Are lost on the armies of Crab
But then they knew that

The arrows of skilled

Men fall quieter than boasts
From the loud and weak

Troubled brows rest well

On breasts of dearly missed
Wives and admirers

The wisest men know not

To anger the Lions, for it
Is too easy for them

Blood at the corners

Of the mouth before battle can
Unnerve the foe well

Trust not Ronin men

For they sell their honor like
Whores, Steel staid of flesh

See beneath the dark

But do not look long, the dark
Stares back at you soon

Yellow light spills on

Scenes of carnage, a bright sun
Over dark deeds by men

Unicorn clan have

Little to speak of, really, since
Their symbol is dead

The Phoenix are well named

For they are at their very best
When they are on fire

The poisoned blade is

Effective, but sullied by
The will to use it
The wisest souls are
The ones who wait for the best
Chance to mock Dragons

Dragon Haiku
by ~LordTraco
Brother of the wind,
Far above the land of life,
Shall I follow thee?

A Last Stand
by ~ATouchOfMadness
Steel rings in the air.
Broken swords and broken men.
Blood stains ancient ground.

The wrath of war fades.

Two armies lower their blades
A challenge is made.

Two men step forward.

A soft wind blows through the field.
One battle remains.

Kenshinzen prepare.
A war is won with one strike.
A final meeting.

Two swords hit their mark.

Fate takes the lives of both men.
Two fall as equals.

An ancient feud ends.

Two great armies leave the field.
One strike kills two men.

As one at all times

There is no separation
By nature nor man

dragon rises up
a fire roars from the belly
poison escapes eye

When you are sleeping

There is no greater beauty
I watch for hours

You walk to our home

A strange woman in your wake
A knife in her back

the larger fish swim

in the depths of the river
where no light reaches

what does the leaf think

as it tumbles from its branch
onto the forest floor?
or, if I may quote Auden:
>The underground roads
>are, as the dead prefer them,
>always treacherous.

In the spring forest

The woodsman and his lover
Their blades speak just once.

two silver foxes

swallowed by the silver fog
on a spring morning

The distant shadow

of rainclouds, the distant sight
of white waterfowl.

All life a cycle

The kami guide the creatures
Each one knows his place

A plum, fallen,
becomes a plum tree.
What, then, a dragon?

Watching our shadows,

joined by the lantern's sway.
The night is still.

Mountains by green hills

Dragon rises high with back
scaled in fiery bones

I whispered, you heard

I prayed you would find me soon
Then my heart was yours

Your words touch my heart

whispers of truth reflections
with fingers of love
by @purelovenergy

Soul shining naked

flowing of lightness and love
aligned in being
by @purelovenergy

Love is not complex

it demands an absent mind
and a present heart
by @Tobuno

Her dress spills open

sudden flash of silk and skin
sensual simplicity
by @ChainOfWords

Fingertips grazing
where the circlet of lace meets
the soft warmth of skin
by @ChainOfWords

Your body arched

taut and trembling like a bow
I, the archer
by @ChainofWords
river in your eyes
i will follow its long path
time can forgive us
by @HaikuSocial

Heavenly torture
I smell you but can't touch you
Still I breathe you in...
by @Wingpoem

still filled with water

her vase of wilted roses
and his unread card
by @NotOneNotTwo

savoring the trace

of your taste; lingering honey
dancing on my tongue
by @nibblesandbits

In my darkest hour
Love's warm illumination
a cosmic night-light
by @dragonheartsong

Sheets of flame cascade

Across intertwining limbs
As lovers combust
by @urbancrafter

slow exploration.
I love how you blush when I
tell you what I want
by @urbancrafter

Too fearful to love

heart snaps in two like a twig
burn it as kindle.
by @urbancrafter

Rumble in my heart
Tumble in the dark with me
And may time stand still
by @Abeeliever

Tender caresses
cascading silky tresses
first Love, Life blesses
by @Tipperay

A kiss from your lips,

Wine-dark, intoxicating,
Steals my breath away.
by @Yojinbo

On hooves like wind

The lost travelled the sand

Home once more

>> Anonymous 11/02/11(Wed)20:17 No.16821625

I look at the sky

On a bed of loam and sod

My peace, at long last

>> Anonymous 11/02/11(Wed)20:19 No.16821639

Display of force

The proud mane sway

Hear the roar

>> Anonymous 11/02/11(Wed)20:19 No.16821642

File1320279560.jpg-(38 KB, 790x587, assassin.jpg)

Deceitful, cunning

Operating in darkness

The scorpion twists its foes

>> Anonymous 11/02/11(Wed)20:22 No.16821664

On distant height

Dragon flexes his scales

Shroud of mystery

>> Anonymous 11/02/11(Wed)20:23 No.16821673

Hair of the full moon

A deft hand, a flashing blade

A white bird takes flight

>> Anonymous 11/02/11(Wed)20:23 No.16821684

Spears rise to the sun

Ten thousand act with one mind

The Empires right arm

For those nutty lions

>> Anonymous 11/02/11(Wed)20:28 No.16821720

Graceful, brush in hand

Flourished words wielded as blades

The white bird dances

>> Anonymous 11/02/11(Wed)20:30 No.16821752

Flying through air

The singing of the string

waves lap the shore

Come feel the magic

And hear the roar like thunder

The great cats are loose.

Water on the beach,

darting forwards and backwards,

a red tide of blood

A spear flashing bright,

Precision, power, and grace,

Trademarks of the crane

Black mountain heights,

shattering blasts of smoke and flame,

dragons ruling the skies

>> Anonymous 11/03/11(Thu)06:21 No.16825985

Once more, life returns!

Spring arrives, Phoenix alight!

The Sakura Blooms!

Stand tall(still?), oh Dragon!

Proud beast, you boastful warrior!

Strong face, yet weak Stance.

Like the Wind I am;

My blade, poetry in movement

With great grace I Slay!

Winter of our lives

Foe, Tonight the curtain falls!

Two men, only one leaves!

>> Anonymous 11/03/11(Thu)06:39 No.16826071

Swift motion, clean cut.

The Singing blade, do you hear?

Blood drips, flowers fall.

Two Samurais meet.

Flash of steel, a body falls.

A blink, over now.