Provided by Paul English
In some ways I can't escape Hiroshima. Recently I was walking back from one of my model schools when I came across an elderly person while waiting at the bus stop. We talked for a little bit. He offered me a ride, and as I was leaving, he very excitedly handed me an envelope with a note inside. I didn't understand why he wanted me to have it. The next day I sat down with one of the English teachers and we translated it. It turns out that he is a survivor of Hiroshima and is now 90 years old. Inside were a series of haiku poems. I'd like to share them with you.
For All My Friends - by Taro Takahashi, Ninomiya
Tell your children now,
'Bout misery in the past,
Then leave it behind.
(The duty of parents with knowledge)
If you don't tell them,
They will never understand,
Your experience.
(The opposite of atomic war. Pray for peace!)
With war we will see,
The crushing convention of,
Many countries' hate.
(The supreme result of atomic war.)
With strong feelings,
Mark the day they dropped the bomb,
My eyes fill with tears.
(Paying homage at a memorial site.)
I'll always live with,
The misfortune of the bomb,
From now to the end.
(Sacrifice of the nation's people.)
Harrowing sights come,
Floating by as I stand on,
Aioi Bridge.
(Standing on the bridge.)
As the time goes by,
Survivors grow old and pass,
And I am alone.
(Experience of a survivor of the atomic bomb.)
September, 2003
Standing on Aioi Bridge, Hiroshima - Ground Zero
The staggering life of an optimistic Taro (90 years old)