sitting in front of a screen for hours without blinking
isn’t umami —

working through headaches and pain
isn’t umami —

running around in circles between three jobs
isn’t umami —

getting yourself all the newest technology
isn’t umami —

what is umami?

I was asking myself
        I know
                it’s a taste
                    the fifth sense of eating
                intensifying the other four
        but when you really think about it
umami is so much more —

umami is
getting a break when headaches rolling on —

umami is
thinking about buying something for another week —

umami is
working in quarters of an hour and a tea break right behind —

umami is
enjoying every bite of dinner and every step outside —

        © Dominik Alexander / 2023
        © Kanenori (image)