By Rey Fukuda Salinas, Greer Nakadegawa-Lee, Noriko Nakada, Kurt Yokoyama-Ikeda, traci kato-kiriyama
Upon this 80th anniversary since the signing of E.O. 9066 during WWII that led to the family separation, house arrest, coerced and forced removal, imprisonment, and mass incarceration of Nikkei throughout North America and especially on the West Coast of the U.S., I wanted to reach out to several writers we have featured in past editions of Nikkei Uncovered, to see if they’d like to share a piece related to this month of commemoration and countless Day of Remembrance programs happening throughout the country.
I’m honored and happy to share here, four magnificent writers — from youth to yelder (young elders), from L.A. to Oakland to Idaho — truly beautiful, from-the-heart and soul pieces: bilingual and multi-layered storytelling from Rey Fukuda Salinas; from the tongue of power by Greer Nakadegawa-Lee; a piece written five years ago for the 75th Anniversary of E.O. 9066 that speaks loudly today by Noriko Nakada; and a piece held up for us all from Kurt Yokoyama-Ikeda, followed by a template he created for you to continue with your own verse… please enjoy.
— traci kato-kiriyama
Spirit elder
I tend to my garden
to remind me of you.
Smoking a pipe
The cherry oak smoke
Snaking through succulents and paint.
Wait, wait!
You took another good look at my face
Studying what was changing
The hair texture, the jawline
Nodding, OK.
Going back to your painting.
I tend to my garden
to remind me of you.
Telling us another story
of how art saved you, saved us.
I keep coming outside
Greeting the fading sun.
Stay, stay!
Maybe you’ll see more and take another good look
The hairline, the flatter chest
And draw it in the clouds.
Me cuentas (storyteller)
Eres buena lengua (you are good tongue)
Te explico ahora como fue
(I’ll explain to you how it was)
Hace tiempo (many years ago)
Construyendo armas (building weapons)
Para protegernos (to protect us)
De los hombres malos (from the bad men)
Eres viaje largo (you are on a long journey)
De un avión sin copiloto
(of an airplane with no co-pilot)
De nubes esponjosos (of sponge-like clouds)
Regalando mi sueño (giving away sleep)
The sky is like my crying
So heavy, clouds cayendo (collapsing)
The damp is like my sweating
So warm and adjoining
Now, all
blended together
Blue pink and white feather
Tiny little sad
Remembering the flag
Every day is remembrance
Of people who are and were
Decorate my face
As a twelve year old girl
Y si pierdo mi pelo (and if I lose my hair)
Me decoro con lapiz del suelo
(I’ll fill it in with a soft lead pencil)
Y si pierdo mi fuerza (and if I lose my strength)
Lo esculpo de hielo (I’ll sculpt it out of ice)
*These poems are copyrighted by Rey Fukuda Salinas (2022).
Rey Fukuda Salinas (he/they; upper left) is Japanese-Paraguayan currently living in Los Angeles (Kizh land). He grew up internationally in places like Japan, the Dominican Republic, and Guatemala. Fortunate to have discovered writing music and poetry to express emotions as a mixed race transgender queer young person, art kept Rey going during times of being closeted and growing up in an emotionally unstable home. Rey is self taught in guitar and a song writer inspired by many artists including Frank Ocean, Yo-Yo Ma, Nina Simone, and Pablo Neruda. He writes songs and poetry about long distance & chosen family, love, (im)migration, prisons, freedom but also just random realizations.
