Saturday, March 19, 2011

Japan

Japan Japan Japan Japan 
Japan Japan Japan Japan 
Japan Japan Japan Japan 
Japan Japan Japan Japan 
Japan Japan Japan Japan 
Japan Japan Japan Japan 
Japan Japan Japan Japan 
Japan Japan Japan Japan 
Japan Japan Japan Japan 
Japan Japan Japan Japan 
Japan Japan Japan Japan 
Japan Japan Japan Japan 

Japan Japan Japan Japan 
Japan Japan Japan Japan 
Japan Japan Japan Japan 
Japan Japan Japan Japan 
Japan Japan Japan Japan 
Japan Japan Japan Japan 
Japan Japan Japan Japan 
Japan Japan Japan Japan 
Japan Japan Japan Japan 
Japan Japan Japan Japan 
Japan Japan Japan Japan 
Japan Japan Japan Japan 
Japan Japan Japan Japan 
Japan Japan Japan Japan 
Japan Japan Japan Japan 
Japan Japan Japan Japan 
Japan Japan Japan Japan 
Japan Japan Japan Japan 
Japan Japan Japan Japan 
Japan Japan Japan Japan 
Japan Japan Japan Japan 
Japan Japan Japan Japan 
Japan Japan Japan Japan 
Japan Japan Japan Japan 



I am taking the lead from poet and blogger 'Lemonhound' - who posted white space like this with the phrase 'Space for Japan. Silence for Japan' in black at the bottom. Except her white space has grey letters that morph into words as you stare at it -- about sending peaceful thoughts and thinking of japan etc.

I keep coming back to a haiku posted by Janis Freegard as part of Tuesday Poem this week. It is by Taigu Ryokan who wrote it after his home had been burgled.

The thief left it behind:
the moon at my window 

A poem as much for Christchurch as Japan, of course. A burglary is a burglary is a burglary. But while Christchurch grieves, it is in recovery, it is making plans, life can go on if still in a disrupted fashion.

I cannot think what else to do for Japan except to leave space to mourn with this devastated country for a moment for all it has lost and is in the process of losing to the thief, the earth -- to grieve side by side with the bereft, grieving, homeless, freezing, irradiated, those fighting for the survivors (the doctors, the workers at the nuclear plant, the emergency teams, the communities), those queuing for hours to share a rice ball, those still waiting for their parents to come and pick them up from school, those elderly with faces that are maps of pain.

Apart from donating money, there is nothing I can think to do but that, except stare at the moon and be grateful that this time the thief didn't come to us.

2 comments:

Elisabeth said...

The thief has stolen so much from the good people of Japan and Christchurch. It's heartbreaking.

Ashwini Sane said...

M'am I usually dont write a comment on the Tuesday Poem blogs and only enjoy the writings, but I loved the virtual white space silence. But,I fear the day, we wont be able to see the moon,the trees, the birds, and then us, and then what would remain would be just a white space,no people, no poems.