after the bomb
ash and black rain
flowering oleanders
Tag: hiroshima
533
clockwork of water
the bamboo vessel swings down
strikes a drum of stone
六十六
343.2
vermillion portal
rising from a slate gray sea
the symbol of pi
Image by Chiharu Mackenzie
330
over long decades
glass slivers dropped from her skin
tears of August 6
329/ tanka
in Hiroshima
on a tram at ground zero
overhead wires
short out– a ferocity
of light floods the crowded car
5/18/15
in Hiroshima
a twelve year old girl’s statue
leis of paper cranes
Carp 4/11/15
spring morn– Wife dances
folds up futon, makes coffee
Tigers lost to Carp!
A Tale of Hiroshima
The plump tabby visited Bob and Sue in their small one room about three times a day, each time becoming a meal for him. Eventually Bob named him “Boswell” and Sue gave in to her husband’s literary pretensions. There were no children to consult on the grave matter of choosing a feline name.
Without landlord approval they installed a pet door. Their heating bill would go up but that was nothing to Boswell’s convenience.
Besides, what could compare with the warmth and affection of a cat snuggling up to them under the futon on a cold, winter night? In the distance would be the whistle of the hot noodle vendor and up close would be soft purring.
And what better entertainment than Boswell stalking a huge moth and devouring it in a gulp?
Perhaps the crowning point in their relationship with Boswell was Sue crafting a collar for him. This was a stunning array of garnet, rhinestones, and tiger eye with the cat’s name inscribed on a silver disk.
About this time was when they decided to move back to San Francisco and there was not a thought about their animal companion not accompanying them. Sue started researching the fees and immunizations.
Then one day Boswell sauntered through the pet door. There was a small sheet of paper tucked under his collar.
“My name is not Boswell,” the note said in English, printed by hand. “And I belong to the little girl upstairs in 1271. Most Sincerely Yours, Snowflake.”
Bob and Sue departed Japan without their friend.
