Tokyo on a Summer Night

The rain fell down in blinding sheets, And drowned the sound out of the night, He walks uncovered down the streets, Beneath the tall electric light, His senses sharp and ever keen, Have scanned the distance far and near, He dwells on details of this scene, As shadows dance and disappear, He’s ever present and alert, And never one to miss a beat, For all his focus he’d exert, Upon the details of that street, The largest city in the world, Across an ocean from his home, His body and his life are hurled, His chosen life is on the roam, He seldom travels, but by plane, By bus or rail, or in a car, Tonight he chose despite the rain, That he would walk, it wasn’t far, The time he had would clear his head, A short escape from stressful life, And think about what she had said, That letter from his former wife, “You can’t relax and smell the roses, Life is short, don’t be afraid, Remember all life decomposes, Not all that’s measured can be weighed,” So that is why he walks tonight, And tries his best to just slow down, Ignore the smell and sound and sight, And dull his senses to this town, Relax his focus and his mind, And forget that he was trained for war, His training he has put aside, His vigilance he would ignore, The car horn’s wail did not disturb, The shadow’s flash, it made no fuss, That night he stepped down off that curb, Too bad he never saw that bus.