Love Warning Carved In Wise Stone

in quiet wise hamlet of Aneyoshi
in Iwate Prefecture northern Japan
a centuries-old stone tablet stands
warns of danger of tsunami waves

a single centuries-old tablet message
a love warning carved in old stout stone
a blessing bestowed on all descendants
a blessing outlasting survivor memories

'High dwellings are the peace
and harmony of our descendants, '

'Remember the calamity
of the great tsunamis.
Do not build any homes
below this point.'

advice blessed dozen plus wise households
of Aneyoshi ancestor descendants heeded
their homes all high built emerged unscathed
a disaster safe huge wave in swept flattened

all low-lying communities elsewhere killed
thousands along Japan's northeastern shore

poem by Terence George Craddock
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!