Remains

Remains

No ducks in the pond. The park holds the castle

and bombed trees, which have possibly been here

over a hundred years. The city’s bustle is absorbed

into a moat. Except the two of us, there’re a Korean

family and a Japanese. We bow and pass each other:

Konnichiwa.

In the middle of the park, there are the small ruins

of the Imperial Headquarters. The steps, which we

suppose are the entrance, let me in the unkempt weeds.

I step onto the rubbles and see groundsill in patches

like a toothless mouth, which cannot complain even

a single word.