rock paper scissors

clenched fist

hovering over

an open palm

…

rock beats scissors

scissors beats paper

paper beats rock

marks the game

of perpetual flow

that has been replayed

across generations

faux

shrimp tempura

laid out on the

lacquered bowl

…

fo real?

nah fo fake

every single day

it’s becoming

harder to tell

what is 100 percent

authentic or. artificial

seat belt

car windshield

traffic lights run

down the window

…

in order to

practice safety

and prevent injury

we buckle ourselves

into situations where

the road ahead appears

rough and bumpy

usb

blink blink

the laptop monitor

system reboots

…

whenever we connect

ourselves to an outside

device or force

we not only make it

part of our system

but also impart

ourselves in it

heirlooms

white oak branch

resting on top of

grandmother’s blanket

…

why do we take

the things our

grandparents, parents, siblings,

and extended family make

which hold so much

charm and character

for granted?

onion

yellow bulbs

layers of leaves

frozen by time

…

no one knows

more about

peeling back our

trials and tribulations

wants and needs

layers and core

than ourselves

murmuration

grey clouds

the sky opens

flock of starlings

…

left

right

up

down

four directions

but our choice depends

on our neighbors

stretch

kitchen cabinet

a cat’s paw reaches

for the cookie jar

…

why is it

that one of the most

important aspects

to our health

and fitness programs

is majorly neglected

by the majority of people?

unaware

grey afternoon

smeared on paper

oil paint dances

…

finding solutions

to our never ending

list of questions

can seem daunting

until the answers

reveal themselves from

unlikely people and places

knock on wood

pile of rice

a set of chopsticks

rests on the table

…

from time

being superstitious

is hardly about

bringing good fortune

or warding off bad luck

for our outcomes

should be decided by us

tool

mossy seawall

hammer and pick

crack open stone

…

what is a hammer

to a builder who has

a sour attitude

lack of work ethic

and no motivation

in completing the task

for the community?

samples

melting point

mozzarella cheese

escapes the pan

…

give us a taste

of what a product

can be before

we commit ourselves

for the long haul

and buy into

the journey

transcendent

sika deer

crossing the bridge

under the moon

…

shout out

to all the players

who came before us

for it is their legacy

we have came to know

and want to rewrite

the record book

nursery rhymes

pail of water

grass footprints stop

around the well

…

twinkle twinkle little star

i’m a little tea pot

mary had a litle lamb

humpty dumpty

baa baa black sheep

provide us with

more than just song and lyrics

lightbulb

torn paper

it’s shadow casts

over the mountains

…

asking why and how

kinds of questions

and following their relationship

back to the big idea

will produce more ah-ha moments

than leaving us wondering

what caused it to happen

totem

yellow daffodils

near the shore wave

back to the sea

…

every so often

we attach ourselves to

emblems and symbols

that hold significance

beyond what we consider

to be only for remembering

our ancestral past

bogof

stale bread

red stickers mark

the final sale

…

the concept of

buy one get one free

seems advantageous

until we realize

when products are

50% off equate

to the same thing

magic tricks

quick, hide!

crumpled paper falls

onto the stage

…

demystifying

and revealing

the secret behind

an illusion or trick

doesn’t mean we

still can’t be amazed

by the art

infinite scroll

hamster wheel

spin, spin, spin

sunflower seeds fly

…

never-ending

is the process

for churning out content

but what would happen

if we stepped off

our preverbal

hedonic treadmills?

life jacket

soaked dock

three life jackets

are missing

…

time and time again

we become dependent

on people, places, and things

to keep us afloat

until we recognize

we can navigate

the ocean by ourselves