mosquito bites

enter the river

looking for trout

but find mosquitos

…

leave behind

tiny red dots

waiting to be scratched

by our fingertips

isn’t a method of relief

but a path towards

potential infection

hangnails

dusty craters

bits of sand underneath

my fingertips

…

don’t ask for forgiveness

as they express themselves

and their discomfort

onto our fingers

which ultimately leads us

in acknowledging

how we truly treat ourselves

puddles

the rainstorm fills

potholes with skylines

and skyscrapers

…

do we avoid

and accumulate more

emails, messages

and daily tasks

or jump straight into

our work with

renewed excitement?

succulent

aloe vera leaves

a maze of spikes

drooping over the rim

…

being low maintenance

doesn’t mean we can

completely leave

others on their own

without making sure

they have the optimal

environment to thrive

6CO2 + 6H2O → C6H12O6 + 6O2

tulip festival

opening for day

closing for night

…

whether or not

we remember the equation

that represents reactants

utilizing light to transform

into the products

essential our lives

we understand photosynthesis

QR code

at plum bistro

laminated menus

await new eyes

…

interpreting

what to make of these

black squares arranged

on a white background

will take more than

our mobile devices

to uncover their meanings

caricatures

wide rimmed glasses

left on the countertop

after reading murakami

…

overexaggerate

our reputations

so much so

that we are constantly

searching for ways

to showcase the best parts

of ourselves to others

chewing gum

termite mounds

chimpanzees inspect

broken stems and twigs

…

despite popular myths

it’s essential for us to understand

that doing the same thing

over and over again

doesn’t always lead

to overall success

but lessons learned

qotd

newspaper stand

headlines after headlines

fall to deaf ears

…

if we are to understand

what separates

a good quote

from a bad one

we should acknowledge

how these statements

made us feel

available

garden clippers trim

the old bonsai tree

pine needles rise

…

what if we looked

past not having

the latest and greatest

application, product, or platform

and adjusted our attention

to the tools and equipment

at our fingertips?

π

trilling along

my middle and ring fingers

rest on the ivory

…

maybe the feats

of memorizing and

using mnemonics

to aid in our retrieval

of long lists of numbers

can tell us more about

setting systems than chasing goals

trophies

the banner

hanging in the rafters

watching over us

…

it isn’t so much

about the names

and accolades

as it is about

us discovering

what gives us

our sense of pride

ctrl+c

nakashima’s table

butterfly joints

connect redwood

…

for all the times

we want to create

something new

but have no idea where to begin

consider copying and analyzing

the work of role models

to find our new voice

wallpaper

facing the wall

two zebras leap

across the plain

…

facing the conundrum

of selecting which

kind of color,

texture, and design

is only the first step

of an ever-evolving process

in applying our vision

kimchi fried rice

a pepper flake

runs down the side

of my chawan

…

chop and cook the spam

cut the kimchi

mix beaten eggs with

day old white rice

and mix everything

with sesame oil and mirin

is a recipe from memory

the truth is,

the librarian

dusts off shelves

and seat covers

…

we will never know

everything about

certain topics and subjects

until we can embrace

the idea that learning

requires both conscious

and unconscious minds

lazy susan

jade garden

steamer baskets reveal

glassy shrimp dumplings

…

no matter our age

we have heard

seen or interacted

with this revolving table

in one way or another

as good design

often reinvents traditions

x

crisscrossing palms

waving goodbye to

the setting sun

…

on our map

marks the spot

for buried treasure

or the place

we set our sights on

before setting out

on a new project

stone bench

kubota garden

crushed gravel path

leads us to water

…

over the course

of any given day

we have the chance

to sit and converse

with familiar faces

and listen to stories

about their journeys

never have we ever

black rectangles

vibrating inside

my jean pocket

…

lived during a time

where we can connect

and learn anything

from the palms

of our hands

and yet can feel

isolated and removed