The sun rises slowly
painfully, stiff from the cold
night air, creeping upward,
barely warming the streets.
In Shinjuku Central Park
the trees are still
despite the cold breeze.
The small group gathers
for morning stretches
and Tai Chi, smiling
toward the fountain
and the ten foot waterfall
they call Niagara.
The siren cuts through the dawn
and the morning is shattered
by a car horn.
The Akita stops
at the wizened  bush
as his master sits calmly
on his bicycle.
In the distance
the lights on the Tokyo
tower blink off
and in the Imperial Palace
the Emperor arises
from a night of fitful sleep.