on TV
in a prerecorded speech
he expresses sadness for the people of the Northeast
he says we will keep thinking of those affected
and will work to rebuild
he worries about the radiation
and asks us to
be united and
take care of one another
on TV
experts report radiation levels are above normal
but safe
in a video
experts explain radiation to children saying
the nuclear energy plant is Nuclear Boy,
a baby with a stomachache
the worst-case scenario is a soiled diaper
no one knows how to dispose of it
now the baby is only farting
and the people closest to him are affected
online
people down here are saying
we should stay indoors
close windows
make the house airtight
hang laundry inside
avoid breathing bad air
what air will we breathe?
grit sits on every windowsill in this house
we cannot keep the fields out
how can we stop radiation?
foreigners are leaving Japan
they are returning to their home countries
they feel it is unsafe here and
it is time to go
Mother is losing her clients
her work
her income
from my window
I see
Grandmother watching the daffodils
waving at me then
heading for the vegetable stand
the wind is blowing
I watch the daffodils dance
we learned in school
that
these golden flowers protect themselves
rooted
they turn their heads
away from the wind
rooted
they twist
so they do not break
rooted
they dance
in the wind
we are fortunate
down here
the direction of the wind has shifted from the Northeast
the doorbell rings
a deliveryman
arrives with a package special express
of
slender whistles on strings
from Father
with a note
“please wear”
he must be losing confidence in the house
Mother and I go out into shifted winds
to give one each to Grandmother and Great-grandfather
Great-grandfather puts it to his lips
blows
TTT—WWWEEEE—TTTT
asks if it’s a dog whistle
it’s not only for rescue dogs, we tell him
can we count on him?
no matter what
we will save each other
or
neighbors will come to dig us out
of the rubble
neighbors who built homes
on land Great-great grandfather bought
and sold plot by plot
for money
to send Grandfather and Father
to university
this land holds
artifacts
underneath
the city restricts digging to a certain depth
in this area
archeologists came in
before the land was broken
for the one-stop shop
at its grand opening,
some very old pots were displayed
what happened to all the people?
why did they leave those pots?
12:52
12:53
12:55
Yuka cannot come over
to fold cranes
Dear People of the Northeast!
Everyone is worried about radiation.
Some people won’t go outside down here.
How scared you must be up there closer to the leak!
from Maya
13:14
13:17
I sit across from Mother
and
each time I fold
press
release
I think of the girl
we all learn about in elementary school
the girl
folding cranes
after
becoming sick from radiation
from the atomic bomb in Hiroshima
in World War II
with each fold
I am wishing for everyone’s health
I ask to use Mother’s laptop
I search
“clean up radiation”
a photo
catches my eye
a sunflower
I read
“experiments show
sunflowers can drink
low levels of radiation from soil”
can a flower clean up Earth?
we need to plant some
lots
and
I know
where
I can get sunflower seeds
Yuka’s grandmother plants them
collects their seeds
replants them
every year
I’ve seen Yuka’s photos of her garden and
her never-ending cycle
of
sunflowers!
I join Great-grandfather and Grandmother
at the vegetable stand
for their tea break
I tell them about sunflowers and
ask if I can plant some to collect the seeds
to send to the Northeast
I say,
I really wish I had a field of sunflowers
even though
I know
they plan to plant more vegetables
for a Japanese relief group
Great-grandfather suggests planting a corner
of sunflowers
he hears well enough for important things
he hands me the hoe and
heads out to the fields
I follow behind
he shows me where to start
how to strike and
how deep to go
the ground is not that hard
it’s been tilled
turned and
loosened
through the seasons
I strike
turn
loosen
move forward and
strike
along the edge of
the corner
I prepare
for sunflowers
one row
ready to sow
energizes me
I keep going
18:15
in the evening
I am so tired I cannot move
20:20
even when Earth shudders
and
21:02
shakes
so close (east of Tokyo in the sea)
so shallow
and
22:39
so strong
25 CRANES
DAY 7
02:19
07:05
a letter arrives from Principal
an apology
for the delay of the sixth graders’ graduation
“it cannot be helped”
(the gym is under inspection and repair)
she looks forward to meeting many of us under the cherry blossoms
to wish the sixth graders well
at an informal ceremony with their parents
on April 5
and then
on April 6
for the first day of school
she also gives encouragement for the days ahead
I find a text from Yuka
saying she and her mother are on their way
south to her grandparents’
until school starts
I am crushed
I have always counted on Yuka
to be here
it’s brave to leave home
they could get stuck somewhere
along the way
in “The Big One”
I text her
asking about cranes
and
asking for sunflowers seeds
telling her to be careful
I wait for a response
but my text is “unread”
out in the fields
I strike
turn
loosen soil
in the corner for sunflowers
it’s a cold day
hoeing doesn’t warm me up
I go inside for lunch
the text I sent Yuka is still “unread”
13:10
the house shakes me
I return to the table to fold cranes
sunshine floods the dining room
but I cannot get warm
in the house
Dear People of the Northeast!
My best friend left. The weather is like winter. I am under blankets in my own home and still feel cold. I want to tell you not to lose heart, but it is worse for you. I think you must know better comforting words than I do.
from Maya
the kerosene truck hasn’t been
circling
the neighborhood
blasting
“Around the World in 80 Days”
filling
heater tanks
maybe there is a shortage
maybe it is all sent up north
it’s the end of the season
but it’s cold
it must be so cold up there
to warm ourselves usually
we would take a hot bath
but to fill the tub
would take time and
energy to heat the water
we could end up with an empty tub or
caught in the tub
when
15:24
Earth moves
a bath is a luxury
but some people
here
and
there
don’t want to be anywhere near water
we keep the electric pot filled
for tea
but later
17:25
clank! clank! clank!
makes me
21:02
21:32
colder
21:33
21:54
before going to bed
I warm myself
looking at photos
of
sunflowers
22:37
40 CRANES
