I have stolen a man
but never a thing of value
I roll up the bamboo blind

-- Suzuki Masajo

a great big cat
flooped out asleep
on a round paper fan

-- Issa

"now the trip is over..."
by Mayuzumi Madoka

now the trip is over --
my summer holidays
start their B-side

In Praise Of Feeling Bad About Yourself

by Wislawa Szymborska

The buzzard never says it is to blame.

The panther wouldn't know what scruples mean.

When the piranha strikes, it feels no shame.

If snakes had hands, they'd claim their hands were clean.

A jackal doesn't understand remorse.

Lions and lice don't waver in their course.

Why should they, when they know they're right?

Though hearts of killer whales may weigh a ton,

in every other way they're light.

On this third planet of the sun

among the signs of bestiality

a clear conscience is Number One.