ThirstyFish

The other day, I crossed the Delaware River for a drive through Camden. Camden, N.J. is the poorest and one of the most violent cities in the United States. My drive though S. Broadway was not pleasant, with abandoned buildings everywhere, visible gang activity and prostitutes on every corner. It's ironic that the city motto is: "In a Dream, I Saw a City Invincible".

On my drive back, I noticed these haikai verses painted on an abandoned building. Haiku is a form of short Japanese poetry, where two images or ideas are juxtaposed, with a "cutting word" between them. The first haiku is by Matsuo Basho (1644-1694):

• A bee
• staggers out
• of the peony

The second one is by Yosa Buson (1716 - 1783):

• People visiting all day
• - in between
• the quiet of the peony

Camden NJ is no Peony. Zeus could not save Camden from the wrath of Asclepius.

Song of the Day: Fade to Black - Dire Straits (1991)