I sit here helpless, watching images of destruction in Japan. Images of despair, ruin, and devastation fill the TV screen. Concern mounts over potential radiation problems; heroes march in and try to save all of us. Will we remember? Do we take care of those who took care of us after Vietnam? 9/11? And how many images can we digest? A great sadness hovers over us all, but there is always hope. Whether it’s the forsythia, the sakura, the newborn, or the new heart—there is hope. Amidst these images there is compassion, there is the love we share for others, and the strong desire to help those in need. If we focus only on the negative images, we will fall into despair. I know. About ten years ago it was hard not to as many of our brothers and sisters left us for the Great Beyond, and we helplessly at times looked for an answer. But the answer is God-given and remains internal. The annihilation of Spirit is impossible. Helplessness does not exist.
When I was young I grew up with a strong Japanese presence in my life. Both my parents were gone a lot because of their jobs, so they decided to have a student from the local community college come live us so that they could take care of my sister and me when my parents were gone. During this time I developed a great appreciation for Japanese culture because I met some of the nicest people I know—Chihiro, Atsuo, and Mitsuo--all who stayed with us at different times. They were family. They lived with us, ate with us, cooked us meals. In fact, the first time I ever cooked, I learned from Mitsuo. He taught me how to cook and prepare fried rice. I was ecstatic that I was now able to make a dish! These wonderful people drove us to school, drove us to some of our sports’ games and even watched. They were family.
I decided that I wanted to do something positive so I wouldn’t dwell on the negative. Shakespeare taught us that even amidst tragedy, life goes on, and so it is okay to laugh during these trying times. And most importantly, it is good to smile and to hold onto hope that things will get better. Because, things will get better. Once upon a time, Japan and the United States were at war, a destructive scarring war which we should not forget, lest we repeat, but now we are friends. So I decided I wanted to write for my friends. When the earthquake struck, I immediately e-mailed Steven, one of the nicest people I knew growing up—he was always friendly, always smiling. He is still as nice today as I remember, when we have exchanged a couple greetings over Facebook. He lives in Tokyo, and I was concerned for him, and was happy to know he was still alive. Then I found out recently that he gave an interview on msnbc.com (here is the link: http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/03/19/6296570-despite-hardships-japanese-american-is-sticking-it-out). He talks about how he has decided to stay where he is rather than leave for a safer location, because he does not want to leave his family. He is a noble man with a heart of gold.
Today I decided I needed to do something to help. I’ve said my prayers, shed some tears over images, but I really wanted to do something that came from my heart. So I did some research, and decided to write some haikus using some Japanese beliefs and folklore and vocabulary. Monetary and material donations are going to be needed for a long time, and it is so wonderful to see how many people are so quick to help out. These tragedies force us to look inward, to the Light of God within our hearts, and in there we are so willing to help. When I looked within, I felt I needed to write.
My work here is a series of seven haikus, multiplied by two. Obviously the haiku is a traditional, disciplined form of poetry held in high esteem by the Japanese. Often people laugh at this form, because it is so small—but in its brevity is the beauty. One only has 17 syllables to capture the essence of an image, or sometimes in haiku, two contrasting images. Each haiku has a strong essence. I don’t claim mine to be of any greatness, but rather of my heart. I don’t think haikus typically have titles, but I listed mine under each of the traditional 7 Japanese virtues: faith (shinnen), hope (kibou), charity (jizen), fortitude (kennin), justice (seigi), temperance (sessei), and prudence (shinchou). Also, I decided that in each haiku, I would address the Shichi-fuku-jin, Seven Gods of Luck in Japanese folklore. Those Gods are: Daikoku, the god of wealth and farmers; Bishamon, the god war and warriors; Ebisu, the god of fisherman and wealth; Fukurokoju, the god of longevity; Juroujin, the god of intellectual longevity; Hotei, the god of happiness; and Benzaiten; the god of music.
The reason why I have two haikus under each of the seven (traditionally, the most well-known good luck number in Japan) is to show how our two hearts are unified. One haiku under each virtue introduces a unique subject, and the other haiku addresses one of the Japanese folklore gods, calling upon each to help out during these trying times. In the haikus that address the gods, I have three Japanese words (including the god’s name) because three is a lucky number in American culture, and also a very prominent number in my religious beliefs (the Trinity). At the end of the haikus, I wrote the loose translations of these words. In the last haiku pair, I left out a space and reversed the order to show that together we are interchangeable parts and unified.
I apologize if I have broken form, or used the wrong connotative meaning of a Japanese word. My knowledge of the Japanese language is very limited (I can count to ten and that’s about it), but I wanted to show my effort to unite the two languages and hearts. Ultimately, I wanted to do something sincere, to show that my heart is with all of Japan during this time. I have students who have been affected by this tragedy, and it breaks my heart to see them hurting during this time. So to Chihiro, Atsuo, Mitsuo, Steven, my students, and everyone else affected by the earthquakes and tsunamis, this is for you; hopefully spiritually you can feel it. God Bless…
Jizen
When I was young I grew up with a strong Japanese presence in my life. Both my parents were gone a lot because of their jobs, so they decided to have a student from the local community college come live us so that they could take care of my sister and me when my parents were gone. During this time I developed a great appreciation for Japanese culture because I met some of the nicest people I know—Chihiro, Atsuo, and Mitsuo--all who stayed with us at different times. They were family. They lived with us, ate with us, cooked us meals. In fact, the first time I ever cooked, I learned from Mitsuo. He taught me how to cook and prepare fried rice. I was ecstatic that I was now able to make a dish! These wonderful people drove us to school, drove us to some of our sports’ games and even watched. They were family.
I decided that I wanted to do something positive so I wouldn’t dwell on the negative. Shakespeare taught us that even amidst tragedy, life goes on, and so it is okay to laugh during these trying times. And most importantly, it is good to smile and to hold onto hope that things will get better. Because, things will get better. Once upon a time, Japan and the United States were at war, a destructive scarring war which we should not forget, lest we repeat, but now we are friends. So I decided I wanted to write for my friends. When the earthquake struck, I immediately e-mailed Steven, one of the nicest people I knew growing up—he was always friendly, always smiling. He is still as nice today as I remember, when we have exchanged a couple greetings over Facebook. He lives in Tokyo, and I was concerned for him, and was happy to know he was still alive. Then I found out recently that he gave an interview on msnbc.com (here is the link: http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/03/19/6296570-despite-hardships-japanese-american-is-sticking-it-out). He talks about how he has decided to stay where he is rather than leave for a safer location, because he does not want to leave his family. He is a noble man with a heart of gold.
Today I decided I needed to do something to help. I’ve said my prayers, shed some tears over images, but I really wanted to do something that came from my heart. So I did some research, and decided to write some haikus using some Japanese beliefs and folklore and vocabulary. Monetary and material donations are going to be needed for a long time, and it is so wonderful to see how many people are so quick to help out. These tragedies force us to look inward, to the Light of God within our hearts, and in there we are so willing to help. When I looked within, I felt I needed to write.
My work here is a series of seven haikus, multiplied by two. Obviously the haiku is a traditional, disciplined form of poetry held in high esteem by the Japanese. Often people laugh at this form, because it is so small—but in its brevity is the beauty. One only has 17 syllables to capture the essence of an image, or sometimes in haiku, two contrasting images. Each haiku has a strong essence. I don’t claim mine to be of any greatness, but rather of my heart. I don’t think haikus typically have titles, but I listed mine under each of the traditional 7 Japanese virtues: faith (shinnen), hope (kibou), charity (jizen), fortitude (kennin), justice (seigi), temperance (sessei), and prudence (shinchou). Also, I decided that in each haiku, I would address the Shichi-fuku-jin, Seven Gods of Luck in Japanese folklore. Those Gods are: Daikoku, the god of wealth and farmers; Bishamon, the god war and warriors; Ebisu, the god of fisherman and wealth; Fukurokoju, the god of longevity; Juroujin, the god of intellectual longevity; Hotei, the god of happiness; and Benzaiten; the god of music.
The reason why I have two haikus under each of the seven (traditionally, the most well-known good luck number in Japan) is to show how our two hearts are unified. One haiku under each virtue introduces a unique subject, and the other haiku addresses one of the Japanese folklore gods, calling upon each to help out during these trying times. In the haikus that address the gods, I have three Japanese words (including the god’s name) because three is a lucky number in American culture, and also a very prominent number in my religious beliefs (the Trinity). At the end of the haikus, I wrote the loose translations of these words. In the last haiku pair, I left out a space and reversed the order to show that together we are interchangeable parts and unified.
I apologize if I have broken form, or used the wrong connotative meaning of a Japanese word. My knowledge of the Japanese language is very limited (I can count to ten and that’s about it), but I wanted to show my effort to unite the two languages and hearts. Ultimately, I wanted to do something sincere, to show that my heart is with all of Japan during this time. I have students who have been affected by this tragedy, and it breaks my heart to see them hurting during this time. So to Chihiro, Atsuo, Mitsuo, Steven, my students, and everyone else affected by the earthquakes and tsunamis, this is for you; hopefully spiritually you can feel it. God Bless…
Jizen
A distant marred past
Intertwined our lives are then
Suffering is shared
Bishamon, believe
Bolden fearful kokoro
Shouri amidst
Seigi
Half a world away
Yet an ocean do we share
We are always close
Fukurokuju
Shiro, like snow falling now
Mizu for flowers
Shinchou
Peaceful are your ways
Disciplined is your nature
Prepared, best you were
Ebisu, reflect
Mikomi ponders koi pond
Unsei we are still
Kennin
Images linger
Anguish, pain of destruction
Abandoned are lives
Juroujin, ponder
Our clouded minds ikasu
Kannen to rebuild
Shinnen
Two shivering dogs
One protecting another
Love in God’s eyes
Benzaiten, exult
Our hearts sing with your biwa
Kiyo be to God
Sessei
Sand falling through glass
A purifying friend, Time
Grows paddies and trees
Daikoku, regard
Prosperous shin undying
Houko abundant
Kibou
Hotei, rejoice
Liven fukumiwarai
Konjou will return
Somewhere sakura
Wait for supuringu
Again, hanami
***
Daikoku=god of wealth and farmers
Bishamon=god of war and warriors
Ebisu=god of fisherman and wealth
Fukurokoju=god of longevity
Juroujin=god of intellectual longevity
Hotei=god of happiness
Benzaiten=god of music
Shin=core, heart
Houko=treasure
Kokoro=hearts
Shouri=victory
Mikomi=hope, girl’s name
Unsei=luck
Shiro=white
Mizu=water
Ikasu=resuscitate, as in the mind
Kannen=idea,notion, conception
Fukumiwarai=suppressed laugh
Konjou=spirit of this world
Biwa=Japanese mandolin
Kiyo=Praise/service
Wait for supuringu
Again, hanami
***
Daikoku=god of wealth and farmers
Bishamon=god of war and warriors
Ebisu=god of fisherman and wealth
Fukurokoju=god of longevity
Juroujin=god of intellectual longevity
Hotei=god of happiness
Benzaiten=god of music
Shin=core, heart
Houko=treasure
Kokoro=hearts
Shouri=victory
Mikomi=hope, girl’s name
Unsei=luck
Shiro=white
Mizu=water
Ikasu=resuscitate, as in the mind
Kannen=idea,notion, conception
Fukumiwarai=suppressed laugh
Konjou=spirit of this world
Biwa=Japanese mandolin
Kiyo=Praise/service
Sakura=cherry blossoms
Supuringu=Spring
Hanami=picnicking under trees, viewing cherry blossoms
Faith=shinnen
Hope=kibou
Charity=jizen
Fortitude=kennin
Justice=seigi
Temperance= sessei
Prudence=shinchou
Faith=shinnen
Hope=kibou
Charity=jizen
Fortitude=kennin
Justice=seigi
Temperance= sessei
Prudence=shinchou
2 comments:
I'm so impressed with the time and introspection you undertook to process this tragedy. Thank you for sharing your insight and affection, you're such a literary and humaine gem!
Wow; Derek I had no idea. A whole new world was just opened to me in some regards. I love it. I had no idea Japan was so ingrained in your life and in your heart. Seriously, I praise God for this brother; thank you.
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