Union Songs
Sailing
A Poem by Junko Kawarai©Junko Kawarai 2007
Another new sailing today
Calmly and quietly to the ocean
Proudly hoisting the sail of
"Never send our children and students to the battlefield again"Another new sailing today
With the beating heart of a life
Against any big wave swallowing you
Against a high wind blowing you away
Harboring and cherishing the precious life of each one of us
Denying sea routes toward altering the constitution and toward warAnother new sailing today, calmly and quietly
Thousands of ships all the way to the ocean
A toast to the sailing today!
A toast to the sailing today!
Notes
Many thanks to Junko Kawarai for permission to add this poem to the Union Songs website.
Juno is one of the many teachers in Japan who resist against the remilitarization pressure from the government by not standing for Kimigayo, the national anthem during school ceremonies.
Kimigayo and the national flag Hinomaru are regarded by many people in Asia as symbols of Japan's wartime imperialism and militarism.
For more information or to offer support to the teachers visit the blog of Kimiko Nezu's diary translated into English at http://stopdismissal.blogspot.com/
union songs..........a selection by mark gregory