samurai in modern america

A papercraft samurai walks down Main St. writing in a notebook as paper letters flutter through the air around him.

thirty short stories

Postcards from a confused samurai.

He came for honor. He stayed for free refills.

We sat at a table in a bright, loud eating house.

The Bewilderment

I went to In-N-Out and ordered a cheeseburger.

The waitress, a woman of sunny disposition, recommended a dish that, to my eyes, appeared to be…

In America, a stranger will rename you in a single breath, and you are simply expected to come…

The Bewilderment

USA. A diner. The waitress asked me how I want my eggs, and my mind went completely blank.

I stood in the vast hall of goods, a silent guardian of philosophy.

The Bewilderment

The drink was blue, cold, and a mystery.

The Bewilderment

A Waffle House at three in the morning.

A boy stood ready to serve, his station a counter of sugared and salted delights.

The Bewilderment

My American friends led me into a cavernous room where swords of fire danced and a chef, master…

The Sacred Rituals

I came to watch the gladiators clash, and found the warriors feasting hours before the arena…

USA. A gas station register.

There came a knock at my gate, and a young warrior, small but formidable, stood ready for battle.

I sought but a single bottle of the American white sauce, this nation's sacred oil.

The Bewilderment

My sword broke last winter, and so I went to replace it at the only smith I could find: a vast…

The Bewilderment

They made me sign a waiver before the wings arrived.

The Sacred Rituals

My host calls him “the weather man.

For the fourth time since my arrival, I entered the small eatery.

In America, a stranger will love you on sight, and you are simply expected to allow it.

USA. A Southern restaurant.

There is a restaurant in Texas where they bring you food until you tell them to stop.

The Sacred Rituals

My neighbor, Dale, possesses a magnificent machine of burden, and I have observed its quiet,…

The Bewilderment

I bought a drink at this American eating-house.

The Sacred Rituals

My neighbor’s small, red banner on a stick appeared, and he raised it, not to announce battle,…

The Sacred Rituals

USA. A supermarket register.

Here in America, i returned to my hotel room at night and found that someone had entered, remade…

The Sacred Rituals

There was a man at the next table in uniform, and the waitress would not let him pay.

The Sacred Rituals

Fifty thousand people stood up in order, section by section.

A restaurant in America handed me a cup of soda.

The Bewilderment

I stood before a beast of the old world, a creature of such power and quiet majesty that I…