A poem for Japan

Healing

Two days ago, I stepped over a plank of wood
    and walked past a barren tree.
My family and I hugged mugs of thin tea
    and huddled around a kerosene heater set to low.
I almost wish it weren't so peaceful.

Yesterday, I watched a heron
    glide along a riverbank.
It's whiteness a stark contrast
    to the fragments of houses and overturned cars.
I almost wish I hadn't seen it.

Last night, I watched a crescent moon
    in a cloudless sky.
The blackness of a city without power
    produced stars unlike I have ever seen.
I almost wish I had just gone to bed.

Today, I stepped over a plank of wood
    and noticed a lone cherry blossom on a branch.
It's pink petals fluttering in the moist wind
    at once delicate and strong.
I almost wish life were not so beautiful
    and so resilient.

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