is a Hiroshige scene…
My corner windows
where I watch the world
I see you
but you can’t see me
the world is a Hiroshige scene
My corner windows
where I watch my scented garden
grow and thrive
Inhale gratitude
Exhale peace
I’m the fool on the hill
who knows the world
is not safe anymore
my childhood playground
torn down and gone.
No more playing
hide and seek on urban streets
amber alerts
bullets fly through our homes
schools churches malls — massacred.
Our children
what is your future
you do not deserve
the fate of our mistakes
I cry I pray I negotiate.
There’s always hope
I heard someone say
–I hope someday
that a smile is not an invitation
and children can play in the sun.
Genie Nakano, revised January 1, 2022,
original, published in Rafu Shimpo–July 18, 2019
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