Postcards from a confused samurai.

The Free

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

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The Bewilderment

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

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The Enormous

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

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The Bewilderment

USA. Summer. It is 95 degrees outside, and I am shivering inside a sandwich shop.

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The Renamed

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

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The Sacred Rituals

USA. A potluck. Everyone brings one dish.

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The Bewilderment

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

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The Enormous

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

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The Bewilderment

The drink was blue, cold, and a mystery.

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The Bewilderment

A Waffle House at three in the morning.

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The Bewilderment

USA. A house. The garage is full, so the car sleeps in the rain.

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The Enormous

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

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The Bewilderment

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

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The Free

USA. A restaurant. I could not finish my meal, and I bowed my head in shame.

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The Sacred Rituals

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

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The Renamed

USA. A gas station register.

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The Renamed

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

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The Renamed

The man at the hardware store called me “boss.”

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The Enormous

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

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The Bewilderment

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

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The Sacred Rituals

USA. There is a white sauce here that the people pour upon…

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The Bewilderment

They made me sign a waiver before the wings arrived.

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The Sacred Rituals

My host calls him “the weather man.”

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The Renamed

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

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The Renamed

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

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The Free

USA. A Southern restaurant.

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The Free

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

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The Sacred Rituals

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

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The Bewilderment

I bought a drink at this American eating-house.

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The Sacred Rituals

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

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The Sacred Rituals

In America, a stranger will say “bless you” when you sneeze.

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The Bewilderment

USA. There is a beast that lives beneath the American sink.

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The Sacred Rituals

USA. A supermarket register.

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The Enormous

USA. They sell food here in the sizes of war.

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The Sacred Rituals

At an American baseball game, a stranger will throw his arms around you the instant your side…

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The Free

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

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The Bewilderment

USA. A diner. I ordered a cola, and they handed me a cup that was ninety percent ice.

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The Sacred Rituals

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

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The Renamed

A confession. My fortune had been falling.

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The Sacred Rituals

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

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The Free

A restaurant in America handed me a cup of soda.

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The Bewilderment

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

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The Sacred Rituals

My nose tingled, a familiar warning.

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The Bewilderment

USA. A restaurant entrance.

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The Bewilderment

USA. A diner entrance.

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The Sacred Rituals

The wind changed, the air grew heavy, and the sky above my neighbor’s house began to pulse with…

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The Bewilderment

In America, a young man at the coffee shop extended his FIST toward me, and I stood before it…

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The Enormous

I came to lift one weight. I left a legend.

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The Sacred Rituals

In America, a stranger will hold a door for a man who is nowhere near it.

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The Bewilderment

USA. A grocery register.

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The Free

USA. A restaurant on my birthday week.

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The Sacred Rituals

Over here, the school bus has an ARM, and when the arm extends, all of America stops.

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The Renamed

In America, a stranger will tell you that you are funny, and you must decide what to do with such…

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The Sacred Rituals

USA. The woman handed me my receipt and said, “Have a nice day!”

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The Sacred Rituals

Beneath a lantern declaring “Express Lane,” I observed a sacred instruction, written in bold…

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The Sacred Rituals

USA. On Saturday mornings, a parking lot near my home becomes a…

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The Renamed

The girl at the coffee counter asked for my name.

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The Free

USA. I bumped a man’s cart with mine.

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The Sacred Rituals

Somewhere in America, your weather report is performed as THEATER, and I have become a devoted…

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The Bewilderment

USA. A small town, Friday, 5 p.

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The Sacred Rituals

I bought water and gum.

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The Bewilderment

The morning sun found me again at the House of Waffles.

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The Bewilderment

Somewhere in America, a drive-in.

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The Sacred Rituals

USA. September first.

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The Enormous

A warm basket appeared before me, unbidden.

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The Renamed

USA. I walked into a sandwich shop a commoner, and walked out…

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The Sacred Rituals

A child, flushed from battle with summer heat, offered me his elixir, fresh from a green serpent…

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The Enormous

USA. A great yellow carriage stopped in the road, threw out a…

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The Enormous

USA. The suburbs. My neighbor Dale complimented my lawn, and I…

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The Sacred Rituals

USA. A grocery store.

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The Bewilderment

USA. There is a store where everything costs one dollar, and I went in to find the catch.

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The Bewilderment

I gave the cashier my name. She said, “Perfect.”

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The Bewilderment

Here in America, a bedroom.

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The Bewilderment

Stateside, a restaurant.

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The Enormous

I once sat at a table in the southland when a woman spoke a word that felt like a sudden embrace,…

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The Sacred Rituals

There is a moment at the end of every American meal when a stranger in an apron offers you the…

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The Bewilderment

USA. A checkout lane. I have found where this nation hides its ambush troops.

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The Renamed

My American neighbor, Megan, approached me this morning with a grave pronouncement.

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The Sacred Rituals

USA. The forecast promised a storm, and my neighbor responded by…

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The Enormous

A woman at the warehouse store held out a tiny paper cup.

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The Enormous

USA. A fast food counter. I ordered a sandwich.

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The Sacred Rituals

We came upon an American house with its treasures spread across the front lawn.

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The Bewilderment

This country. A living room.

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The Bewilderment

In America, a man will promise you lunch, and you are both meant to understand that he means…

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The Enormous

USA. The hotel bathroom contains a row of tiny bottles, and I…

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The Sacred Rituals

There was a sign on the lawn. “YARD SALE.”

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The Bewilderment

The machine accused me of a crime I did not commit.

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The Renamed

USA. A parking lot.

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The Sacred Rituals

My neighbor, Walt-san, cuts his vast garden mounted upon a motorized steed, a ritual I have…

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The Bewilderment

USA. Every store shouts the same two words when you enter: “Welcome in!”

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The Sacred Rituals

USA. A woman named Brittany whispered that she was going to…

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The Sacred Rituals

A national holiday. The chains had invented it, I knew that.

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The Free

I saw a sign for a village, but the characters were not kanji.

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The Free

USA. A diner. The waitress asked me a question, and I misheard my destiny.

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The Sacred Rituals

In America, a stranger will say “love you” and then hang up.

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The Bewilderment

USA. A small eating house.

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The Bewilderment

The waiters dropped their trays and ran.

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The Sacred Rituals

My friend beckoned me toward a door I had always presumed to be a mere closet, a portal to some…

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The Sacred Rituals

Somewhere in America, july 4th, 9 p.

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The Sacred Rituals

USA. I thanked the young woman for my coffee.

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The Bewilderment

USA. A businessman shook my hand, and I require a moment.

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The Bewilderment

Beyond the formal receiving rooms of the house, in the place where a family keeps its riding…

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The Enormous

I purchased a drink.

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The Sacred Rituals

USA. A highway on-ramp.

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The Bewilderment

USA. A grocery register.

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The Renamed

“Can I get a name for the order?”

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The Sacred Rituals

I stood before the grandest collection of faces I had ever witnessed, a silent army of joy and…

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The Free

In America, a stranger will offer you his fist, and you are simply meant to understand.

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The Renamed

USA. A family restaurant.

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The Sacred Rituals

The waiter knelt slightly, met my eyes, and said, “Hi, I’m Brad, I’ll be taking care of you tonight.”

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The Bewilderment

Out here, my neighbor’s doorbell has an EYE, and the eye speaks with his voice.

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The Free

USA. I broke a kettle, so I went to the store to confess.

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The Bewilderment

This country. A grocery store.

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The Sacred Rituals

USA. Your weather report is performed as THEATER, and I have become a devoted patron.

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The Bewilderment

USA. At the door of every house here lies a small cloth that…

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The Bewilderment

USA. I walked in to ask about a job.

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The Sacred Rituals

USA. Driving at night through open country, I saw a pink light…

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The Enormous

USA. A buffet. The sign said all you can eat.

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The Renamed

I stood before a shop, its doorway protected by a stark, absolute decree: three items, neatly…

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The Sacred Rituals

USA. A park near my home.

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