Winner of the White Enso award for Japanese-style poetry.

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​When my husband and I arrive in Japan we promise each other it will be for three years. Three years turn into five. And for one of us, five years turn into forever. 


          cherry blossom --
          dusk slips in
          uninvited

Back in the United States, I cannot forget Japan and what I left behind. Now I am a single mother with two small children. How will I raise them on my own?


          winding road
          face of a rabbit
          in the moon

In my struggle I recall a word I often heard in Japan. Gambatte. A word that is hard to translate. Some explain it as ‘be strong’. Others as ‘do your best’. To me, gambatte means ‘keep going’. Over and over I say it. Gambatte becomes my mantra. I keep going. Little by little, pieces of my old life mingle with the new. My children’s names in katakana on a scroll above their beds. I eavesdrop as they read side-by-side in tiny rocking chairs. First one story "Momotaro the Peach Boy," then the other "Kaguya-Hime the Moon Princess."


          sunlight
          on the welcome mat
          a pair of slippers

Time keeps its own counsel. Children grow up and move away.
​But always, with a sweet nostalgia, I remember Japan.


                     red silk obi
                     how gently it drapes
                     the old piano

Roberta Beary grew up in Queens, New York, USA and identifies as gender-fluid. Their writing awards include the Bridport Prize for Poetry 2022, Best Microfiction 2019 & 2021, and Best Small Fictions 2020 & 2022. Their work is featured in The New York Times Modern Love, Rattle, Atticus Review, Litro, and other publications. A trauma survivor, they write so that others know they are not alone. The longtime haibun editor for Modern Haiku, they divide their time between USA and Ireland. 
social media: facebook author page (https://www.facebook.com/robertabeary/)
twitter @shortpoemz (https://twitter.com/shortpoemz)
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