A tree remained while tens of thousands of pine trees were uprooted, carried away by tsunami during the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. The tree is the silent witness. I immerse my heart in the tree, helping reveal its emotion through three pictures and short poems. 

Silent Witness

By Kartika Lestari

SO YOU SEE ME

I am alone, so you 
see me and remember 
when the water rages. 
Never… never bring again 
your home here. 
Let me alone, so you 
always see me and remember 
to never build again 
a life by the sea.

SURVIVAL

The rampage came. People 
had nowhere to run.
Water tantrum. Ocean
as if moved to the land. 
Screams—things floated.
My pine friends dropped 
off. The earth
and water shook me. 
Minutes felt like years.
As the turmoil ended
and the ground came 
back to the sight,
nothing left but me
and the bent concrete
behind. 

MEMORY

Leaves had chitchatted  
from thousands of pines.
Birds had perched 
on the branches,
tweeting. 
They have gone.
Never come again.
There’s only
me, standing alone
in the twilight shadow. 
Lonely.

​

Photos by Kartika Lestari

Kartika Lestari is a new writer and a former climate scientist. Years ago, she got to a point that recalled her youth’s joy in writing. In the past, her letter was the best five in a provincial-level writing competition. Recently, she has dedicated more time to pursue her passion for writing. Her fiction has appeared in Potato Soup Journal. The other work has been accepted in Grande Dame Literary and Soul-Lit. Her stories were on the list in The Unsealed’s Writing Contests. Connect with her on Medium, LinkedIn, FB, and twitter @rkartikalestari.

Use and/or duplication of any content on White Enso is strictly prohibited without express and written permission from the author and/or owner.

Table of Contents                                                                                                                                         Next Page