Scene 1

From atop the Century Hyatt
Shinjuku Chuo Park
is a desolate maze
of asphalt, its fountains
stilled by winter.
The horizon is dotted
by the cranes,
great and small,
perched precariously
engaged in their manic dance
bending and swooping
in defiance of the gods.

Scene 2

Shinjuku Station
is washed by the waves
of riders who flow along
its corridors, as though
pulled by some hidden tide.
Tokyo, the orderly, tidy city
recalls that it is home
to 10 million, and the soul
of a nation.