The rain shimmers, slants, swirls
In the brightly-lit Takiyama kaido while
Cars speed past in rain-smoking wheels
Towards many a wonderful pastime.
In the semi-darkness of the sidewalks,
Made darker by sakura tree branches,
Young girls in umbrellas speed-past on bicycles
Laughing and chatting loudly.
The michi-no-eki frogs
Carousing in paddy fields
Sing unequivocally in a chorus
Of the rural past of Hachioji.
As you walk past shuttered windows
You realize the two worlds fighting for survival:
The one fast asleep by late evening,
The other reluctant to go home early.
June 2007, Hachioji
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