Wednesday, July 4, 2012

4th Of July, Yokosuka, Japan

Standing next to an old memorial stone
For a Battleship sunk by the Americans,
I see Stars and Stripes raised, not alone,
But aside Rising Sun, above the dull black
Steel of a Japanese submarine moored
Across the bay, and it makes me think back
To the awful burnt and bloody fight,
Often to the death, against implacable attack,
Which ended in ashes and pain and blight,
Now, here, decades after, this wondrous sight
Of the flags of former bitter foes raised,
Flying side-by-side, Japan honoring an ally's
Independence Day, leaves me touched, amazed.

No comments:

Post a Comment