The Beat of Standards

Hear the army's drumming band--
a-thump, a-thump, a-thump--
no different than the footsteps
of the million people walking
the streets simultaneously;
a-thump, a-thump, a-thump,
says the rain pounding somber
coldness on thick glass,
as painfully would the hammer
thunder down its destruction;
and slowly, steadily,
a-thump, a-thump, a-thump
the shishi-otoshi calls
repeatedly, serene and relaxed
in the courtyard.

It will be complex--
occasionally in confusion,
at times tormented,
but can be peacefully content--
If he wields the heart.