Haikus for Hiroshima

Sorath and the Japanese Way of Butterflies

Naked ladies in our garden

.

Butterflies,

interrupted

by the bomb

.

Bashō, your tatami mat

was turned to ashes

at Hiroshima

.

Buson, try false flag

and seventeen syllables

scream out Pearl Harbour

.

Issa, just lovers

and cherry blossoms,

no ashes in Kyoto! *

.

Orange glow

sunset like no other

butterflies in the river

.

Kaga no Chiyo,

today the Buddha,

what Buddha?

.

Today the butterflies

cannot dream

of dandelions

.

Today Sorath

crushes Rebel Christ,

what Christ?

.

Today the butterflies

flit to and fro

and dream of Rebel Christ

.

~~oo~~OO~~OO~~OO~~oo~~

* Henry L. Stimson, U.S. Secretary of War during World War II, insisted that Kyoto be removed from the atomic bomb target list because he had spent his honeymoon there.

~~oo~~OO~~OO~~OO~~oo~~