under rubble
after she was swept
from her mother’s arms
by the tsunami
she is reunited with her parents
who survived
this miracle, this joy
lightens
a little
but
the nuclear problem grows
19:25
more unstable
with each day
the company tells us it is working hard
but
Mother’s clients tell her the news coverage is alarming
from outside Japan
their radiation fears grow
stronger
with each report
20:03
and for me
20:06
with each tremble
when Father comes home
I want to confide I cannot face
all this sadness and fear
instead of saying
I am worried about radiation
fires and
“The Big One”
I say,
it’s not easy for me
to help Mother help others
he is slow to respond
then
asks me if I remember flying to America
remember what the flight attendant told us
to do
if air masks fall?
put yours on first
then help others
strengthen yourself, he tells me
I lie awake thinking
strengthen myself
how?
I am afraid
expecting
dreading the next tremor
but
I am off guard
reacting
fumbling my way
under the table
I go to the table
stand and
on a piece of origami paper
I write:
Dear People of the Northeast,
Each time Earth moves I am knocked off my feet.
I will find a way to strengthen myself.
from Maya
I fold
press and
release
with each gesture
I think of the people in the Northeast
and hope for everyone’s safety
I fold
press
release
fold
press
release
slowly
deliberately
with each gesture
I breathe
Earth, be calm
fold press fold press fold press
I cannot tell if Earth is listening
but with each gesture
I feel calmer
I bend the crane’s bowing head
pull its spreading wings
releasing it and
set it on the table
is that a spasm? a quiver? a tremble?
the ceiling is too dark to check the pendant light
but then
23:50
Earth strong enough to know
I don’t dart under the table
I hover
I want to fly away
the paper crane flits and flaps across the table
I grab on to its neck
we are off
through clouded skies
on paper wings
we fly
north
past Tokyo
past the nuclear energy plant
past the earthquake epicenter
to the one pine standing alone on the shore
after the tsunami ripped the others away
the crane’s neck bows
I slide onto the branch beside it
I have never seen such darkness
no light anywhere
I cannot see what is lost beyond
but I feel it
all
cool unirradiated wind from the north washes over me
beneath me
I feel warmth, life
rising and descending
from and to the tree roots
splintered and scarred
still, this tree stands
alone
shaken and scarred
still, many people stand
alone
at the arc of one aftershock
23:51
Earth again
one minute has passed between these two aftershocks
I am back
in bed
DAY 5
1:36
I sleep
03:41
04:59
deeply
06:09
until
the dingdingdingdingdingdingding of the alarm clock
or
07:04
Mother’s phone app?
it’s the alarm
they are up getting ready for the day
I go to the table
Dear People of the Northeast,
I am worried for you and for me. Making cranes makes me calm.
I will make 1,000! I will think good thoughts for us.
from Maya
12:20
after lunch
I text Yuka to meet
her mother hesitates letting her come
out
under scattered clouds
we fall into each other’s arms
it’s colder than winter
we’re both wearing coats
both sad and worried
she tells me she’s staying inside
under the table
I tell her folding cranes makes me calm
so
I will fold one thousand
she wants to join me
comes home with me and
calls her mother
14:28
we
15:56
ride out
15:56
Earth’s
16:03
movements
together
we will fold one thousand cranes
together
we fold and press
we bend their heads bowing
downward
but
keep their wings pointing
skyward
to string them
to send them to the people of the Northeast
to let them know we are thinking of them
we are wishing them well and
we are carrying on for them
but send to which area?
the destruction is massive
who will accept them?
a tsunami survivor shelter?
a radiation evacuee shelter?
accepting the cranes and
finding a place for them
may be a burden
we are all overwhelmed
all over Japan
Mother suggests sending them
to Students Rebuild in America
they will donate money
for each crane
to help all the people in the Northeast
Yuka and I look at each other
we agree it’s a good idea
we take the cranes off the string and
open their wings to release them
Thank you, Students Rebuild!
it is nice to think of others
faraway
helping
we will send them the first week of April to make the deadline
no afternoon chime calls children home
we have lost track of time
Yuka’s mother calls her home
with plans to meet tomorrow
Yuka takes home half of the
30 CRANES
WE MADE
I fold press release
through the news
concern about radiation is growing
18:41
even stronger
18:49
I fold press release
after dinner and
through
18:53
shock
19:31
after
19:43
shock
20:06
22:27
Father makes it back, and
sleepwalks through to bed
he is going to the office
working
doing his part
like others in Japan
to keep “the money going around”
to carry on
to keep Japan strong
22:31
the house pushes up then
sideways
we all meet under the table
TV tells us it was south
strong and shallow
under Mount Fuji
!!!!!
that’s down here
closer to west Tokyo
than the one on March 11
experts have expected Mount Fuji to erupt someday
with “The Big One”
maybe someday
soon?
Earth responds with
22:35
a nudge from up north
22:37
a stronger one
22:40
weaker
22:40
stronger
22:43
weaker
in the stillness
alone in my room
I unpack the glow-in-the-dark emergency ladder
open the window
loop its end around the window box rail
push it over the edge and
watch it unravel
the end of the rope and metal rungs
hit the ground with a thud and a clunk
this was the drill
Mother and Father showed me
when I was five
it seemed like a long way down
before I get under the covers
I line all the cranes I’ve made
along my windowsill
counting them one by one by one
35 CRANES
it’s a long way to one thousand
DAY 6
02:40
04:53
05:30
06:04
the telephone rings early
no sixth-grade graduation tomorrow—
it is delayed until further notice
I watch Father leave at his usual time
the bright ladder catches his eye
he looks up at me in the window
you’re prepared, I hear him say
we wave
before he slowly starts on his way to the station
his bag weighs him down
08:58
9:22
WOW!
Mother grabs her laptop
I grab my mug
we scramble under the table
Mother checks the location of the quake
on the Japan Meteorological Agency website
to see how close it was
then
she goes to the quake map and
clicks to watch from March 11
circles flash by time order
widen by magnitude, and
brighten by depth
why relive it?
The emperor
