Something good did happen,
My appetite came back,
the pain faded away,
and I could go home for a visit,
I radiated excitement,
so much I couldn't sleep,
as I made more cranes to keep the magic working,
six hundred and forty-one,
six hundred and forty-two...
Summer 1955~ Prediction
It's warm and sunny.
Over halfway to a thousand,
It seems like a good omen,
something good is going to happen.
Over halfway to a thousand,
It seems like a good omen,
something good is going to happen.
Summer 1955~ Tears and Laughter
Today mom came,
with my favorite foods,
an egg roll, chicken and rice,
pickled plums and bean cakes,
I tried to eat them,
but I couldn't,
my gums were to swollen,
Her eyes were glazed,
as if she were going to cry,
and that made me cry,
angry at myself for making her sad,
knowing our family had no extra money for expensive food.
Brushing my tears away,
She cradled me in her arms,
saying I'll be better,
while reading from a book of poems
Masahiro soon came,
an soon we all bursted out laughing.
for me the first in days,
and mom recited a poem from when I was a child,
"O flock of heavenly cranes, Cover my child with your wings."
with my favorite foods,
an egg roll, chicken and rice,
pickled plums and bean cakes,
I tried to eat them,
but I couldn't,
my gums were to swollen,
Her eyes were glazed,
as if she were going to cry,
and that made me cry,
angry at myself for making her sad,
knowing our family had no extra money for expensive food.
Brushing my tears away,
She cradled me in her arms,
saying I'll be better,
while reading from a book of poems
Masahiro soon came,
an soon we all bursted out laughing.
for me the first in days,
and mom recited a poem from when I was a child,
"O flock of heavenly cranes, Cover my child with your wings."
Spring 1955~ Death
Kenji didn't appear on the porch that day
I soon found out why,
At night there was a rumble of a bed being rolled down the hall.
Nurse Yasunaga came in,
saying Kenji had died.
I turned to the wall and let the tears come.
She guided me to the window,
I asked her if I was going to die.
She said I'll live,
I tried to believe her.
I really did.
I folded some more cranes, believing.
Four hundred and sixty-four...
five hundred and thirty-six to go.
I soon found out why,
At night there was a rumble of a bed being rolled down the hall.
Nurse Yasunaga came in,
saying Kenji had died.
I turned to the wall and let the tears come.
She guided me to the window,
I asked her if I was going to die.
She said I'll live,
I tried to believe her.
I really did.
I folded some more cranes, believing.
Four hundred and sixty-four...
five hundred and thirty-six to go.
Spring 1955~ Talking with Kenji
I began to talk to Kenji more often.
It eased the aloneness of two,
for if two are alone together,
they wouldn't be alone no more,
In wheelchairs we would converse,
about families, stories and more,
It made me happy to talk to him,
and I think it made him happy too.
It eased the aloneness of two,
for if two are alone together,
they wouldn't be alone no more,
In wheelchairs we would converse,
about families, stories and more,
It made me happy to talk to him,
and I think it made him happy too.
Spring 1955~ Kenji
I was really tired when I met Kenji,
Nurse Yasunaga brought me out to the porch,
when I saw him,
nine years old, small for his age,
with a thin face and shining dark eyes,
Soon we talked like old friends,
Kenji is alone,
his parents died,
both of us have leukemia,
he got it from his mother,
though he wasn't born yet,
and he says he is going to die,
knowing his condition gets worse as the days go by.
What is it like to be ill,
to have no family,
I can't imagine it,
Kenji is just brave that is all.
So I sent him a crane from the prettiest paper for luck,
and continued making more cranes for mine,
Three hundred and eighty-nine...
Three hundred and ninety...
Nurse Yasunaga brought me out to the porch,
when I saw him,
nine years old, small for his age,
with a thin face and shining dark eyes,
Soon we talked like old friends,
Kenji is alone,
his parents died,
both of us have leukemia,
he got it from his mother,
though he wasn't born yet,
and he says he is going to die,
knowing his condition gets worse as the days go by.
What is it like to be ill,
to have no family,
I can't imagine it,
Kenji is just brave that is all.
So I sent him a crane from the prettiest paper for luck,
and continued making more cranes for mine,
Three hundred and eighty-nine...
Three hundred and ninety...
Spring 1955~ Pain
Energy is draining,
Bones on fire
Pounding headaches
magnifying dizzy spells,
experiencing deep blackness,
stopping me from accomplishing anything in life,
This is pain
Bones on fire
Pounding headaches
magnifying dizzy spells,
experiencing deep blackness,
stopping me from accomplishing anything in life,
This is pain
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