By GENIE NAKANO
My father explained
forest trees became killing machines
bursting down with fire
thousands of Nisei soldiers went up the mountain
so few of them came down
little has changed
shrapnel holes in the walls
still here in Bruyeres
the blood of your brothers
and you are not forgotten
I walk the forest
where my father crawled
in the rain filled trenches
can I be the man he was
without the price of war
—
Mon pere me racontrait…
les arbres devenaient des machines a tuer
se precipitant en feu sur le sol
des milliers de Niseis ont gravi ces montagnes
si peu en son revenus…
peu des choses on change
des trous d’obus sur les murs
encore presents en Bruyeres
le sang de vos freres
vous n’ etes pas oubies!
je marche dans le foret
ou mon pere a sejourne
dans des tranchee remplie de neiges
pais-je etre cet home qu’il fut
sans le prix du sang
Genie Nakano was born in East Los Angeles. She has an MFA in Dance, and uses movement, music, dance and poetry in her performances. Her recent book Enter the Stream is available on Amazon. Genie can be reached by email.