fragrant notes flowing
 
from an old monk’s bamboo flute—
 
cherry-blossom songs

 
 

Near the temple gate
 
some fading cherry blossoms
 
cause the priest to smile.

 
 
 

Toppled by the wind,
 
a farmer’s tattered scarecrow
 
keeps his crooked smile.

 
 
 

Blue morning glories
 
covering my neighbor’s fence
 
coax a smile from me.

 
 
 

Super Bowl Sunday—
 
in an almost empty store
 
a child smiles at me.

Tooth

 
 
 

Over fresh coffee,
 
the man with a missing tooth
 
smiles at his daughter.

Smile

 
 
 

In a great city
 
where no one speaks my language,
 
a child smiles at me.