Black Rain
I gazed at the rain and wondered
if black rain had ever fallen before. . . .
~ Akihiro Takahashi
If it's raining, you must not see
the glint shattering, the cloud
stuttering its tears all over Hiroshima,
not like April's cherry blossoms,
unlike May's unripened plums. Black:
more like the traces of the silhouettes
you will never erase in August
heat, that water will not cleanse.
A conqueror's tail of fire burned
heaven — unexpected — into earth,
the pink of morning blush igniting
and ever spreading out. For miles
along the river's edge, air stilled.
© 2012 Maureen E. Doallas
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The inspiration for my poem comes from a post I wrote in 2009: "Give Back the Human".
The theme at TweetSpeakPoetry this month is "rain".
Very powerful poem.
ReplyDeleteExquisite poem, Maureen-- very distilled and searing images--
ReplyDeleteIf it's raining, you must not see
the glint shattering, the cloud
stuttering its tears all over Hiroshima,
not like April's cherry blossoms,
unlike May's unripened plums..
so very much called forth and re-etched in the heart with this...xj
This poem has a really strong ending, Maureen. I like it a lot.
ReplyDeleteI like how Jen describes this poem -- very distilled and searing images --
ReplyDeleteand yes, very powerful.
I too like it, a lot.
Very intense but also calm...
ReplyDeleteThe
ReplyDeletethe powers of this dark world
and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms
not showing itself so plainly
within the human heart
but clearly exposed
within time
This is vivid...and sad.
ReplyDeletewow maureen. this rather took my breath away...and gave my spine a shiver....
ReplyDeleteWow--very strong. Such a beautiful description of something so destructive.
ReplyDeletePowerful and good write.
ReplyDelete*shivers* such dark beauty you've penned here. every line is a gem, and surely some of them will haunt me for a while. thanks for sharing your gift. much enjoyed your poetics.
ReplyDeletebreath taking (quite literally for some).
ReplyDeletea very poignant write.
Very moving - as was your post it refers to. I was reminded also of the Fukushima disaster.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that I have carried the guilt-weight of Hiroshima somewhere between two of my thoracic vertebrae all my life. In my childhood it manifest itself as fear mixed with dread. I was sure that this horror would be sent back to me personally. Now it's just a very old ache that acknowledges that mankind never has learned the golden rule.
ReplyDeleteA splendid poem written in your unique voice!
Poignant and powerful, the quietness of this poem expresses more than any documentary ever could.
ReplyDelete"...more like the traces of the silhouettes
you will never erase in August"
This one really affected me. Excellent bit of writing.
Absolutely stunning. Poignant and moving. Thanks.
ReplyDelete