Written for:  dVerse Poets Pub – Haibun Monday:  “Peace Memorial”
(Hiroshima Day)     (posted by Frank)

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony & Peace Message Lantern Floating Ceremony

That’s right! Today marks the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. And the city of Hiroshima will once again hold its annual Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony:

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony is held each year on August 6th, the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. Some 50,000 local citizens and visitors, as well as ambassadors and dignitaries from around 70 countries, gather here to console the spirits of those killed by the atomic bomb and also to pray for lasting world peace…

…Remembering the 140,000 irreplaceable human lives that were lost, either on the day of the bombing or in the ensuing months, and the numerous atomic bomb survivors who still suffer from its aftereffects even to this day, one cannot help but be left with a strong sense of the horrors of nuclear weapons and a strong hope for world peace in one’s heart.

Let us commemorate Hiroshima Day with our own poetry! This week, I want you to write a haibun that states or alludes to either the Hiroshima attack, or one of the themes of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony, such as peace, the abolition of nuclear weapons, or the horror of nuclear war.

One would like to think that we learn history not only to know and understand
our own culture and that of other countries, but to benefit from mistakes,
and horrors wrought in the past. We need to seek better means and solutions,
wiser ways to keep that tenuous thread of peace from fraying,
from breaking apart, and leading the world into unimaginable chaos
and destruction.

We can start by recognizing the humanity in others, and by leading
with kindness.

one ugly duckling
shunned for different appearance
finds grace as a swan

(from Hans Christian Anderson’s tale)