First Glimpse of Japan

Fishing boats ~
look alive ~
bobbing on the waves ~
but on islands ~
half obscured by clouds ~
fields ~
roads ~
towns ~
are too distant ~
to show a human face ~
I think of bombers ~
during the Pacific War ~
bringing death ~
I see mountains ~
green ~
alien ~
beautiful ~
I begin to encounter ~
islands of the “Divine Wind” ~
kamikaze ~
where my experiences are ~
yet to be ~
unpredictable ~
sacred.