The Thursday Think Tank at Poetic Asides asked for poems about “Hope for Japan.”
BITTER HOPES
When the ground beneath her desk rolled like
a carpet shaken of its dust, like
the rollercoaster when Yuki screamed and laughed, yet like
something unnamed and horrible.
She thought, “This is IT.
The final moment, or the beginning of many
final moments.”
Crawling out of her cubicle,
scenes never to be erased from her memory.
Ten minutes before, she and Hayashi had shared a cigarette,
and a kiss, in the stairwell.
Now, he was pinned under a desk, eyes glazed;
a picture of their trip to Kanagawa as they regarded the roses
had fluttered to the ground, settling on his chest.
Was this the last thing he saw? His last good memory?
She prayed it was so.
Then came a blur of
walking nightmare people
bottled water
pictures posted with notes
questions without answers
Earthquake, tsunami, nuclear disaster
And of course, government downplayed the severity of radiation
She and Kenji commuted inland daily from their home in Sendai;
Father enjoyed the view of surf.
Why had Kenji taken the day off?
She knew now her brother was gone, as well as their parents,
swept from earth as waves wiped the chalkboard clean.
Alone. Safe. Not safe. Scared.
A butterfly chose her at random, gracing her
with a dizzying dance of color and life.
“If only I had the mind of an insect,” she thought,
as bile rose in her throat. “At least butterflies hold the key to hope:
Living free for a season, surrendering peacefully to death.”
Her only hope was that the world see, and learn, what her grandmother
had told her, as she revealed the flowered tattoos of her Nagasaki childhood:
Men’s greed and grandiose technology will never defeat the ferocity of nature.
© 2011 Amy Barlow Liberatore/Sharp Little Pencil
Sharp Little Pencil 
timkeen40
Great words for a horrific situation. I think only those who have lived through a situation where the world literally caved in around them can understand.
http://timkeen40.wordpress.com
Sharp Little Pencil
My former mother-in-law was a Holocaust survivor. I have friends whose grandparents and parents survived the nuclear Holocaust of 1945. When it comes down to cases, it’s all about how we use our power in this country – our political power and our manufactured power. Both fail on a grand scale. Thanks, Tim. Amy
Kim Nelson
Amy,
How have you done this? How have you taken disaster and grief and misery and nature’s grandeur, and turned it into a beautiful piece of prose poetry singing a message from the page?
How? ~ Insight, sensitivity, passion, practice, talent, intense caring.
Sharp Little Pencil
Kim, many thanks. The thoughts were swirling around, trying to figure out how to answer a prompt for “Hope for Japan,” and then, as I said to Sherry, their everyday lives got me thinking what it would have been like to be there. I appreciate your accolades; however, when it comes down to it, I just listen and wait for the words… Amy
Sherry Blue Sky
Amy, this is the best thing I have read yet about Japan. It is heartbreaking. You put a face on this gigantic tragedy and bring it down to a scale your reader can feel and relate to. Fantastically well written, hits straight to the heart. Your last lines speak a powerful truth humankind has been afraid to face for far too long. Now it is here in front of our faces. Time to get real.
Sharp Little Pencil
Sherry, wow, thank you for this wonderful comment. I have friends in Japan and I know the workaday life, the commuting kids who still live at home… so I guess you could say the Japanese gave me this poem. An horrific tragedy, one I hope will get us to re-think “clean nuclear power.” Ain’t no such thing. Like you said, “Time to get real.”
Peace, Amy
RJ Clarken
Amy – I read your poem and felt like crying anew. You have made personal and close that which is, to the large degree, a distant media story – something which happened ‘far from here.’
“If only I had the mind of an insect…” surreal and and and …well, real.
Sharp Little Pencil
Yeah, but sometimes I DO have the mind of an insect!!
OK, really… thanks so much for your words. They really touched me, Randi. Had to imagine myself there, and that took some deep meditation. See you soon, Amy
booguloo
Poetry of the Spirit.
Sharp Little Pencil
Michael, just bopped over and read “Table for Two.” Right back atcha! Amy
Judy Roney
Your story of Yuki personalizes this tragedy even more. This really hits hard at the heart of the situation..the people.http://judyidliketosay.blogspot.com/2011/03/hope.html
Sharp Little Pencil
Your post is beautiful. I took the epic approach, the story-telling, based on some folks I know in Japan. You really “kept the flame alive.” Thanks so much, Judy! Amy
Sarath Unnithan
wept from earth as waves wiped the chalkboard clean ~
excellent line..
wonderful work…to follow just one subject…
Sharp Little Pencil
And very hard to stay with it. This poem took days to write, because it was so wrenching in the images it conjured. And I was safe here in America, too. Imagine the folks over there, I pray for them. Amy
Ellen
Amy, so many powerful thoughts in this one~ I loved the delicate balance of the butterfly against so much sadness n’ tragedy~ Great Job!
Sharp Little Pencil
Thanks, Ellen. I used many images conveyed by friends in Japan for the day to day routine and names… but putting myself in her shoes was very hard. I can only imagine what a shock it has been to the survivors, and am contributing via the United Church of Christ (www.ucc.org) to relief efforts. Thanks again, Amy