Food for the Body
If so, then what is Judo
A breath for the soul…?  Japanese judo
Downed by kesa-gatame
1964 Eyes fixed, grip subtle
Judoka faces the foe
Searching for ippon
Windmill sweep uke
Falls like cherry blossom
Tossed by the wind
One heartbeat careful
Turning around upside down
Crushed like careless snow
Eyes squint, nose crinkles
Toxic smell rolls over us
Please, please, wash your gi!
The steams of July
January’s stinging drafts
Dojo doors open
Crashing down
Towards stiff tatami —
Stinging defeat
Spring contest rages
Inner calm the judoka
Exploding kiai!
Drifting butterfly
Strike swiftly, uchimata!
The spine is fractured
Old sensei watches
Young men – no tai sabaki
He snaps! “Use Hara!!”
Waiting pressure builds
The cutting ashi waza
Brings winter defeat
Old Judoka slumps
Feeble man? No! Watch him fight!
True skill knows no age
My frozen garden
Stiffened hanging judogi
White sprinkled all over
Echoes in disgust
“Maitta! Don’t you know this?”
His arm now hangs limp
The contestants bow
White and blue face each other
Ippon is the goal
Immersed Judoka
lifetime tatami dripping
winter walking dry?
The thin wrap of cloth
(Ippon) heavy grows the sash
his winter coming.
shuffling bent old man
seeking sun in the green field
tatami warms him
Hugh gray cloud rising
Twisted black and white lightning
thunderous ippon
Stiff kuro obi
summer floating butterfly
Metamorphosis
Oh my aching neck
Okuri-eri-jime
Sliding all the way
Lacking kuzushi,
Launches me into orbit.
So many stars out.
An early winter
Red snow cools conflagration
Men called to battle
Blowing on hands,
Cold feet on tatami,
Winter training.
IJF judo
Jigoro rolls in his grave
Ippon desu-ka?!?!
Failed seoi nage
Kouchi makikomi
Thunder and lightning
Why fight for high grips?
Morote seoi nage
Seiryoku Zenyo
Hot summer judo
Move in, pull up, squat low, kake
Down you go. Ippon!
The wind blowing cold
Okuriashi Harai
Both feet sliding out
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