dear hojicha

slow soaked and roasted over
remembering the dirty rain
stomping down on dirty Osaka

thinking about the north and
that play we saw on the street
by the Kamogawa in Kyoto

on our way to the seven eleven
for cash and breakfast cakes
to foot the hunger building up

back in the south an old man
at the side of the pavement
offered us a cup of Hojicha

he joined us on our walk up
to the tennoji station
where we took the train

back to friendly juso
where my cousin introduced us
to takiyaki and burnt tongues

we lost the old man to the udon bar
situated on the corner
by the Panasonic bike shop