Saturday, May 19, 2018

One Man's Maple Moon: Fukushima Tanka by Alegria Imperial

English Original

after Fukushima --
another note from Mie
tells me
her bonsai cherry tree
blossomed a little

Atlas Poetica Special Features: The Atomic Era, 2015

Alegria Imperial


Chinese Translation (Traditional)

福島核災之後
另一份來自米兒的便條
告訴我
她的櫻桃樹盆栽
開了一些花

Chinese Translation (Simplified)

福岛核灾之后
另一份来自米儿的便条
告诉我
她的樱桃树盆栽
开了一些花


Bio Sketch

With works published in international journals, Alegria Imperial, a former media person and journalist in Manila, Philippines, since stumbling on Japanese short form poetry ten years ago, has found the perfect fit for her writing. She now lives in Vancouver, Canada.

1 comment:

  1. The shift in theme and tone in the lower verse makes this nuclear disaster tanka emotionally effective, giving readers a glimpse of hope. This heartfelt tanka reminds me one of my poems on this disaster:

    Ilha Formosa?

    Sendai earthquake ...
    the darkness pierced
    only by flashlights

    At night, I toss and turn, worrying about the long-term health risks for Japan and its neighbors. My homeland, Taiwan, is one of the closest.

    Fukushima at dawn --
    one vending machine
    still glowing

    I remember during the late 1990s at the height of the anti-nuclear movement in Taiwan, someone handed me a flyer on the street. It listed important instructions on how to survive a nuclear disaster. The last one on the list said: "When driving away in the rescue convoy, please remember to look back, because that will be your last sight of Taipei."

    radioactive scare
    this a world of dew
    and yet ...

    NeverEnding Story, March 12, 2014

    Notes:

    1 In 1544, a Portuguese ship sighted the main island of Taiwan and named it "Ilha Formosa," which means “Beautiful Island.” Taipei is its capital.
    2 This poem is a revision of Ilha Formosa?, which was first published in Sketchbook, 6:3, May/June 2011

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