Honor and Betrayal (Jiangsu 1937-1945)
The bamboo leaves swished in the wind
As Lieutenant Ryouta Takahashi said goodbye
To his wife and son.
He made his way to the port
With measured steps,
His mind thick with heavy thoughts.
On route
To reinforce the Japanese garrison in Shanghai
The convoy set sail
From the Sasebo Naval Arsenal
In Nagasaki Prefecture.
It was part of the 3rd expeditionary fleet
Of the Imperial Japanese Navy
Consisting of a dozen cruisers and gunboats.
Their mission was to patrol the coasts
And river ways of China and to give support
to the landing operations of Japanese troops.
The boats ploughed through choppy waters
In the South China Sea for two days
And three nights.
Upon casting anchor in the Yangtze delta,
Lieutenant Ryouta Takahashi reported himself
To the staff of his commanding officer,
Major Daiki Chinen.
Judging by his name,
Takahashi-san told himself,
The major ought to be from Okinawa.
The lieutenant spent
A few relatively calm weeks
In Jiangsu Province.
But then, on August 13,1937,
The Battle of Shanghai began.
The exchange of fire
Escalated into a full-scale war
Between Japan and China.
Imperial Japanese Army units,
Supported by aircrafts and tanks,
Crossed over the Bazi Bridge in Shanghai.
Hirohito’s Third Fleet
[...] Read more
poem by Paul Hartal
Added by Poetry Lover
Comment! | Vote! | Copy!
