2020 vision

Domo arigato gozaimasu

We look forward to welcoming the nations of the world to the cleanest, most peaceful and economically sound Olympics ever held.

What about the little problem of all that radiation?

What radiation? Just always take air samples when the wind is blowing from the South.

The foreigners won't notice that.

How are we going to communicate with the influx of non-Japanese speakers?

Don't worry, just say YES most of the time and the odd NO, that always works.

The outsiders won't realize you can't understand English.

How do we explain the noisy motorbike gangs and the drunk salary men at night?

We'll tell the aliens the motorbike gangs are Chinese, and the drunk salary men are Korean.

They won't see through the lies.

Finally, the slight problem of not having enough money?

Our devious economic contortions famously known as 'Abenomics' will keep us in the black.

And hopefully the barbarians in the dark.

Let's hope the visitors don't have 20/20 vision.

© Damien Healy
 

Tokyo wins race for Olympic Games. 

Damien Healy is from Dublin in Ireland but has lived in Osaka, Japan for the past twenty years. He has been published in Poetry 24, Spinozablue and The Ofipress to name a few.

Rael Pale

Peace is just a word without actions,
No matter what intentions are behind it.
We have heard it all before behind the whimper of mothers crying.
It’s been seen in the pitiful pleas of a father holding his lifeless son.
The differences between the two of us,
Our beliefs and a sheet of skin.
Vying for a piece of barren, useless land,
Killing our neighbors over a two-bit piece of real estate.
Both brought up to believe each other is wrong,
Skewed history and patriotic songs taught to the innocent masses.
One supported by a very big brother,
The other, friends with misled individuals.
But everyone agrees that if we do not find a solution,
All that will be left are real pale corpses on the barren streets of our territories.

© Damien Healy

Barack Obama passes separation wall on road to Bethlehem

Damien Healy is from Dublin, Ireland but has been living in Osaka, Japan for the past twenty years. He holds an MA in Applied Linguistics and teaches English at university. He loves poetry about nature and has recently found the time and energy to read and write some. He has been published in The Ofipress and Spinozablue.