Sakei Poem by RIC BASTASA

yasai ramen
hot and fuming to the
nose

tongue is
familiar to the
taste of
Japanese

noodles and you
recall same old faces
that make you smile
facing the
passing crowd of
people
in the mall

the banana split
comes later
beside
vanilla ice cream

you chin is
resting upon your
fist

everything is
tolerable here
until

the toy train comes
towed by a
plump white kid
whose hands are
tightly held by
a strict grandmother

what we see
sometimes turns sour
then bitter

at first glance
everything is sweet and
we think
that sweet is forever
and desirable

smooth relationships
nothing messy
but it is never that way
mind you