Hair black as midnight,
Kimono sleeves whispering of plum;
Haiku she breathes to me
Beneath the yellow moon.

She says I need to see Tokyo,
And Kyoto in the rain.
I say, "I’ll go if you’re there—"
I’ll say anything.

She draws pictures of Mount Fuji
In charcoal, and puts them
All over the house,
Knowing I’ll see them

And remember the color of the mist,
And the smell of incense
When I sat on her tatami mat
And drank her tea.

I gave her a bonsai tree;
Now I hear crickets in the house
And I know she brought them in;
She wants to feel Japan.

She planted a Cherry tree in the garden,
And sits in a lawn chair,
Staring at the ground,
Measuring the time until

She can smell the blossoms.
I know she longs for home,
For Matsuhashi temple,
For the bells and the Buddha,

For her mother and grandmother
And siblings by the barrel
Living together, bathing as one,
Sharing so much space.

She tells me about Kabuki
And her favorite Aragoto character;
How he is so witty, and stomps on the stage
Making the lights vibrate.

Sometimes she puts on her makeup
And dances around the room.
But when she says, “I love you,”
I know she wants to feel Japan.