|
September Song
Well, it’s a long, long time
From May to December
But
the days grow short,
When you reach September.
And the
autumn weather
Turns the leaves to gray
And I haven’t got
time
For the waiting game.
And the days dwindle down
To a precious few . .
.
September, November . . .
And these few precious
days
I spend with you.
These precious days
I spend
with you.
|
Torahiko Nakashima's precious days in Hawaii.
I would like to introduce you one of my e-mail friends, Mr. Torahiko Nakashima.
He was born in 1953 in Ureshino Town, about 1 hour drive from Karatsu.
When he was a university student, an accident injured his cervical cord.
Now he is a poet, essayist, novelist and also a critic.
His challenges have always encouraged people around him including me.
Recently Torahiko told me about his journey to Hawaii.
So I asked him to allow me to introduce him on my web-page.
Please be happy with me for Brave Tiger ( Torahiko means Tiger Man).
His "Quest" in Waikiki has been achieved,
|
Cervical cord injured people 's trip to Hawaii
written by Torahiko Nakashima
On the Sand
Wheel-chairs
All empty
(Haiku by Torahiko Nakashima)
I was floating in the cobalt-blue waves in Waikiki.
In Japan, when we suddenly get to see something clear, we often say, "Oh,
scales dropped off from my eyes!"In my case, I felt as if scales dropped
off my buttocks. As our bottoms are always oppressed against wheel-chairs
or beds, if we float in water, we feel stresses softly slip away from us.
As I am paralyzed from the breast down, I can not feel water, but my eyes
and ears and nose can make it up enough. In the swimming-ring ,which is
my only lifeline. I paddled with both hands and changed directions.
White sand-beach, palm-trees, and skyscrapers were suddenly before
my eyes. Then I felt a great joy of achievement. "At last I swam in
the sea of Hawaii!" I!d say I am the first spinal cord injured Japanese
who dared to swim here.
When I was leaving the water, two young men on the beach came and helped
me in a natural way.
It was three summers after my first swimming in Omura Bay in Nagasaki Prefecture,
which was mentioned in Mr. Tamio Sakai's newspaper column.
In the end of June.2004, I went to Hawaii for a trip of 7days 5 nights.
It might be a too optimistic act in this scaring world situation, but I
wanted to join the meeting planned by a magazine, Post- card Communications.
If I miss this chance, I would never see Hawaii in my life. Until this
year, the members met in Hiroshima, Yokohama, Fukuoka, Kyoto, etc., but
this year it was planned to have an experience of a trip abroad. For the
first trial, someplace safe and of reasonable cost. We were a big team
of 15 motor wheel chairs and 23 carers.
Most of them look heavier than me with heavier disabilities and heavier
equipments. Some of them are successful business-men like building owner,
company president, tutoring-school owner, etc.
This is my second trip abroad, after a one-day tour to Pusan, Korea. But
for most of the members, this was the first experience. So our journey
was full of excitements, like the famous Japanese comedy of Yaji-Kita (
two ignorant men Yajirobei and Kitahachi for the first time made a trip
and made many laughable mistakes).
The first hurdle for me was the 8 hours' flight of going. Our tickets were
the economy-class, so the seats were very tight. Smaller people, using
some cushions under knees, somehow could take resting positions, but I
am a big guy, stuck in the chair, and could not move. I kept looking at
my watch, and endured my inferno.
The next problem in the hotel. In my house, I have a supporting device above my bed, and it helps me for the urination or posture-changing. But, here in a hotel, how can I do this?
I was going to stick a pole onto my wheel-chair and hang a rope from the
pole, but luckily enough, I found this condominium's partition between
the living room and the bed room was a wooden one, and I could hang the
rope there with two s-shaped hooks.
The chamber-maid, whom I have tipped beforehand, did not say No.
The bus to Polynesian Culture Center ran swaying too rough through the
mountain road. I felt sick and asked the driver to go more slowly. In the
Honolulu Zoo, it was too hot, and I got heat illness. When enjoying barbecue
at the lounge, a drunken Australian soldier came on me. I gave him a copy
of a book of my Haikus, with my own English translations.He praised me
very much. I have many other happy memories. I hope I can have another
opportunity to tell them to you.
At a street corner,
He catheterizes himself.
A wall to hide him
I will be
As high as a skyscraper.
(Tanka by Torahiko Nakashima)
|
Thank you very much for meeting Torahiko Nakashima.
He will be happy if you send your comment on his trip to Hawaii.
I hope you enjoy your precious days with your precious people in beautiful
September!
|
