Mother says he is happy here
he has stayed
because he likes me
he is a house cat
and doesn’t belong outside
I don’t ask why no one has come for him
I think I know the answer
Mother tells me,
you are saving his life
22:41
the shudder
of Shadow’s bell
makes me teary-eyed
20 CRANES
DAY 18
06:11
07:23
07:23
Great-grandfather loosens baby spinach plants
one by one
from their bed
placing them in a bamboo basket
he transplants them
to give them room
I watch him
remembering the day
Shadow watched me
followed me home
wanted inside
never wanting outside
I step behind Great-grandfather
and
pat the soil snugly around the baby spinach roots
all day out
we miss a call from the vet
the message says he has some news
but gives no details
Shadow may be going home!
19:40
30 CRANES
DAY 19
08:01
Grandmother asks me to wash and prepare
leeks and some of the baby spinach
to set out at the vegetable stand
I wash and wash and wash
she tells me, everyone expects some grit
it cannot be helped
my flyer still hangs on the post
even though no one has seeds and
no one mentions it anymore
the flyer for Shadow is gone
this may be Shadow’s last day
at our house
Great-grandfather tills the broccoli stalks
into the ground
alone
no starling follows him
I walk out farther to the park
to the cherry buds
tightly closed
our neighborhood blossom-viewing is canceled
many across Tokyo, too
out of respect for the losses up north
before dinner
Mother tells me
there’s no word from the vet yet
he was in surgery all day
I ask to use her laptop
to look up planting times for sunflowers
I look further and
learn
a Japanese scientist is working on
how to dispose
of their stalks after they absorb radiation
sunflowers are not the answer
19:54
I end up under the table
will radiation ever go away?
30 CRANES
DAY 20
Mother places the flyer she made
for Shadow on the table
the vet called to say
a neighbor of Shadow’s guardian
saw the photo in his window
and
told him
the woman’s grandson chased Shadow out
after she died
I ask,
what is his real name?
the neighbor didn’t know
my heart softens more for him
17:52
he has lost his guardian
his home
his name
he has nowhere to go
I write “Shadow” at the top of the flyer
cross out “Contact” and
write “HOME” next to our information
I give Shadow a slow blink
Mother says I have rescued him
21:51
Shadow jumps up on my bed
the rumble deep
beneath his heart
lulls me to sleep
22:19
25 CRANES
DAY 21
8:52
my mug is ready for gold dust
with Grandmother standing near
I rub the seam
first with fine charcoal grit
to smooth rough spots
then with a fine brush
I tap gold powder onto a paper square
with cotton fluff
I dab along the seam
inside and
outside
the mug
it needs to sit
undisturbed for a week
12:25
if
16:15
possible
Shadow follows me to the shed to check on the mug
he follows me everywhere
inside and
outside
20 CRANES
DAY 22
I will join Mother
to search for donations for the Northeast
on my first train ride
after March 11
she advises packing my water bottle
my emergency weather cape
in case we have to walk home
and my whistle
in case…
the station is dimly lit
escalators and elevators are halted
sitting on the train
my stomach churns with possibilities
of things that could happen
if “The Big One” happens
caution, not fear
I remember Grandmother saying
we choose not to go too far
from home
we stop along the train line
going to different shops
looking for toilet paper, soap, slippers
and
gathering other things on her list
to drop off to send to evacuation centers
I see
“origami paper” on her list and
remind her to buy kitty litter
on our way into the gate
Mother thanks me for helping
I apologize for not helping sooner
but you have been helping, she says
we stop to watch
our porch swallows
inspect their nesting spot
preparing to return later
for the first clutch of eggs
Shadow must stay in the house
or use the back door
especially when the fledglings are learning to fly
20:57
he watches me
fold
my very last crane
I didn’t shout once
I thank him for cooperating
20 CRANES
DAY 23
from my window I see Yuka
passing under the cherry tree
on her way to my house
she’s holding a plastic bag
lit by the sun
filled with colors of the rainbow
through the house
gate
street
I run
we grab hands
lean in and
smile into each other’s faces
she places a bag
the size of a clenched fist and
the weight of one paper crane
filled with sunflower seeds
into my hand
I tell her I prepared
a corner for sunflowers in Great-grandfather’s fields
we will plant them
after we send the cranes
Yuka meets Shadow
she understands why I strung the cranes
(her grandmother used to have a cat)
one thousand cranes
require a big box
Mother has two
just right
14:08
the table wobbles
Yuka panics
rushes under it
Shadow and I join her
I get a piece of origami paper and write:
Dear People of the Northeast,
Yuka and I will grow sunflowers in Great-grandfather’s field.
We will gather and send you seeds.
from Maya and Yuka
Yuka signs it
folds
presses
releases
a flying crane
I ask her to add it to her box
Shadow watches
Yuka and I stack
pack and
address two boxes
to post
1,001 cranes
on Monday
the neighborhood chime calls
her home
before she leaves
16:55
she heads under the table
18:05
19:22
after dinner
Mother asks me to take care of dinner dishes
it’s her turn to join the fire group
there is no blackout
no emergency candles in use
but it is a cold night
people may use their heaters
and Earth may move
I ask to go
we leave the dishes
say good-bye and be good to Shadow and
tell Grandmother where we’re going
at the park
we greet neighbors
it feels warm and cozy
to see people out
together
the blocks are handed out
Mother hands me her set
we start out
they clank
I don’t
clank! clank!
watch out for fire!
up close
the hollow clank is startling
we walk along
I am out of step
I try but
I am out of sync
clank! clank! clank! clank!
watch watch out out for for fire! fire!
in a few more steps I am with the group
clank! clank!
watch out for fire!
DAY 24
02:07
Sunday
under sunless skies
out
