One for Nippon: In the Wake of the Tragedy(桜の開花)

Sendai, Ofunato, Minami Sanriku.

All of Japan is a funeral parlour,
Deep in woe
Bound by grief
Submerged in tears of mourning.

Nippon is set on a pyre,
And we hear the growl
Of menacing fires
But it is in hearts
That the real turmoil uncoils.

A decimating quake,
Cutting the island to size -
Earth quakes and heart aches,
Cries and shrieks puncture the sky.

Hellish waves,
Rising tides
That doused the sun,
Defrocked the sky,
And withered the cherry blossom.
Leaving a pale tale.

Is this nature's sadistic humor?
-
The Seismic raid,
The tremor that brought terror.
The harbinger of death,
Leaving scenes of horror
- A flood of blood
- A land in fragments
Swamps of chaos
Swarmed with grief.

A sequel to Kobe 95?

Living scenes of horror,
Hearts strained,
Pain reigns.
Making a pale tale.

We are all drowning in the tears of the mourning.

Words sometimes lack the skill to thrill,
Ease burdened minds,
And console the hurting soul.

Thus all I'll say -
No glossy rhetorics reeking of politics,
But a prayer:
- IN THE BAY OF GOD'S WINGS, MAY YOU FIND REST, COMFORT, AND MEANING.
- AND MAY YOU SEE THE CHERRY BLOSSOMS BLOOM ONCE AGAIN.

by Isaac Karikari (bkkarikari@yahoo.com)