pulls outer leaves away
lets them fall and
hands it to the man
telling him to pay Grandmother at the vegetable stand
I follow him
the man asks Grandmother to cut it in half
to fit in his bicycle basket
the cabbage crunches open
beneath her knife
exposing
a Fibonacci swirl of leaves
folding
leaf over leaf
holding
months of air, water, sun
from this field
before the radiation scare
good to have one from here
the man says, and
buys spinach and leeks too
the sky darkens
I go inside
14:58
the house shifts with a strong
shallow
shake
Dear People of the Northeast,
I wish we had fresh vegetables to send you.
Someday I hope I have sunflower seeds for you.
from Maya
I fold
press
release
later
I overhear Mother and Father
discussing
Tokyo city water
it is unsafe for babies
radiation levels are too high for babies
leaks are still not under control
the one-stop shop already limits water purchases
what happens when everyone needs bottled water?
Dear People of the Northeast,
I keep hoping the nuclear energy company knows what to do.
from Maya
Earth has been still for hours
then
23:48
I roll off my bed and
slide under my desk
I hear Shadow’s bell
come closer
in the darkness
25 CRANES
DAY 11
00:06
04:54
05:05
Father leaves home well rested
Mother works at the table
I watch raindrops in garden puddles
they look like the phantom circles
of aftershocks
on the quake map
ding
Yuka texts
sorry took longer
hard to text from here
she’s down south
in the countryside
Yuka is lucky
she’s on stable ground and
in sunshine
inside this house
is colder than outside
Shadow is lucky
he’s wearing a fur coat
I feel lucky to hear Yuka’s okay
I don’t mind she didn’t answer my questions
Grandmother stops by on her way
to the family grave
for the spring equinox visit and
says I should not go
caution, not fear
people have been injured by
stones falling at temples and graveyards
I will go another time
to scrub the headstones
place flowers
and burn incense
I am hoping Grandmother
will be
14:08
okay
Dear People of the Northeast,
Today, Grandmother went alone to our family grave. Every day for two years, I have been missing my grandfather. Today they are saying over twenty thousand people are dead or missing because of the earthquake and tsunami!!
That means many thousands of people are sad and worried. Some dead people have no surviving family members to take care of their remains and there is not enough fuel up there for cremation. They cannot bury the dead in the proper way. Old grave sites have been washed away too. It’s so sad.
I am wishing everyone will rest in peace.
from Maya
I run to meet Grandmother at our gates
see she is okay and
throw salt on her
front and back
to make sure no ghosts followed her home
she brings back botamochi for teatime
cautions me
not to let the cat get any
it’s sticky
messy and
dangerous for pets
I tell her,
he sits on the table
but never bothers anything
after dinner I fold cranes
19:43
I grab paper
my mug
and
dart under the table
Shadow jumps down
sits in front of me
slowly blinking at me
I wonder if he is finally freaking out
but then he stops
I tell Mother,
there’s something wrong with his eyes
she observes him
that’s how cats show affection
a cup of hot tea and a sweet
welcome Father home
he sighs
sits
says, good eh?
Mother joins him
Shadow follows me to my room
22:49
we are shaken
would Shadow follow me down the ladder?
I don’t think I can rescue him
50 CRANES
DAY 12
00:27
12:31
12:38
12:41
12:56
13:12
13:15
13:44
Dear People of the Northeast!
Aftershocks are shallow and close.
And more rain today!
I wish you sunny skies. It is harder to be strong in rain.
The sun makes the days better.
from Maya
I fold press and release
a crane
Shadow swats at it
no!
I release another
Shadow swats at it
no!
and another
three cranes sit
wing to wing to wing
Shadow swats at them
a claw catches hold of one
it flies
he pounces
after it
drops onto it
slashing claws
gnashing teeth
the crane is in shreds
no!
I shout at, charge at, chase after him
he darts to the entry hall
barrels past Mother
out into the rain
Mother says, he needs a toy
she finds a string and ties it to a chopstick
but he doesn’t come back
I look up
away
from the table
Shadow sits at the door
Mother lets him in
out of the rain
I am not happy with him
but do not scold him
Mother is worried
his fur coat is sopping wet
she feels she needs to use the hair dryer
hesitates
but
insists it
needs to be done
she sits at a distance blow-drying his fur
a rattle
a rumble
a shake
16:18
we dash under the table
16:18
! ! !
two aftershocks
within seconds of each other
Shadow moves in front of me
sits closer than ever to me
calmly
17:33
I realize
18:19
he’s been watching over me
18:44
we go to bed early
to conserve solar batteries
21:04
I lie in bed
22:50
wondering if I will need the ladder
I cannot see Shadow
but I feel his presence
and
hear his bell
25 CRANES
DAY 13
00:03
01:12
07:12
07:34
07:34
Father packs his umbrella
the forecast is rain in the afternoon
07:53
by this time in March
I would be on school break
we left suddenly
everything undone
everything unfinished
everything left behind
there is no homework
no assignment
no project
no cram school
no English practice
I have all the time in the world
to think and worry
Dear People of the Northeast,
The government banned milk and some vegetables from farms near the nuclear energy plant. Experts still say radiation levels are safe but not if you drink or eat a lot of these things. Poor farmers and cows! And the poor people who live nearby. They have low levels of radiation too.
I wish this problem was finished.
from Maya
Shadow watches me fold
he does not make a move
but
to protect all of my cranes
I gather them
together
to string them
together
they will be stronger
sliding one onto the back
of another
then another
then another
1, 2, 3… 10
