I miss Obon…

i miss

yagura and lanterns

crowds in happi coats and tennis shoes

i miss smiling whole faces

the hint of incense wafting from the temple

i miss little girls wearing the wonder of their first kimono

elders chatting and fanning themselves with uchiwa  

i miss obon

i miss 

dressing room chatter

bare feet on tatami

I miss the firm hands of ladies wrapping us in yukata

wearable origami in bold patterns 

re-minding us of who we still are

i miss obon

i miss 

dancing through the gate to the music of Bon Odori Uta

trying to be graceful, getta on concrete 

i miss being in a moving village forming circles around circles

dancing the steps of our ancestors

losing ourselves to remember them

i miss obon

i miss 

the don of taiko, the twang of shamisen

climbing the yagura

Atomic Nancy’s voice reaching for the moon

I miss my breathe pressing against obi

singing shoulder to shoulder to a sky turning indigo

i miss the village dancing round us

a constellation of joy

a moment of oneness

i miss i miss i miss…i miss obon

Nobuko, August 15, 2020