Before I left NOBU,
the Great East Japan Earthquake
happened.
All I could do
was stand there,
staring blankly at the images
playing on the TV
in the staff cafeteria.
“Is this really happening
in Japan...?”
Being overseas at that moment,
I even found myself wondering,
“Am I really Japanese?”
But there was nothing
I could do then.
I wasn’t able to do anything.
I didn’t go back to Japan.
All I could do
was close my eyes to the fact
that I was completely powerless.
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