and an image appears on paper;
each stone leaves a unique imprint
just like your fingers.
He's fetched a row of stones to show us -
grey blocks from Old Ujina Station;
platform stones that have survived
the Dark Face of the Light.
And he also has a map to show us -
with its delta rivers drawn in red ;
it's marked with rings to indicate
the target will be 5 miles wide.
There are frottages of City Hall
and Hijiyama Hill
the Savings Bank
and Red Cross Hospital
Masao Okabe asks:
Is there a future for our past?
