Hiroshima's Sky (excerpts)
That night I slept in the open
The next morning, I finally made it to the shelter
But only my father was there
Mommy and Yu-chan died…
Daddy squats down, and digs with his hands
Suddenly, his voice weak with exhaustion, he points
I throw the hoe aside
And dig at the spot with my hands
The tiles have grown warm in the sun
And we dig
With a grim and quiet intent
Oh...
Mommy's bone
Oh...
When I squeezed it
White powder danced in the wind
Mommy’s bone
When I put it in my mouth
Tasted lonely
The unbearable sorrow
Began to rise in my father and I
Left alone
Screaming, and picking up bones
And putting them into the candy box
Where they made a rustle . . .
Translation by Nishimoto Masami, Chugoku Shinbun