Our fury had spent itself,
collapsing into sadness,
percolating softly
like a coffee maker in 
another room.
Lying on tatami, 
We watched a story from Palestine,
a courtyard, and 
sunshine on water,
the strange sounds of music
and the music of words
clear and empty of meaning
in the otherwise silent flat.
​


As evening gathered,
We left to catch a show downtown.
If the art spoke to us,
I no longer recall,
dwarfed as it was
by the supernova of
Tokyo itself.
From the 52nd floor,
the tangled code of our thoughts 
spiralled out
like dust through an airlock,
to find its place amongst
the fretful brilliance
of the dreaming city by night.

Fireworks at night
Like a desert rain
Brought forth a bloom of faces
On rooftops, in windows
Above this lonely city


We are together! I thought
And waved excitedly,
As to a passing ship
​

Eugene Ryan is a Londoner of Irish roots who first came to Japan in 1994. Since then, he has lived in Okinawa, Tokyo, Nagasaki and Toyohashi, where he now lives. He currently teaches at a university in Aichi prefecture. His research interest is currently focused on using role-playing games to help autistic children improve their communicative confidence. His poetry was previously published in Rat’s Ass Review, The Font, and Tokyo Poetry Journal. He loves gardening, sea swimming and time with friends. You can find more of his poetry at https://eugespoems.wordpress.com.

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