Poetry
He was swinging by his neck
from a basketball hoop
When his father found him
lifeless,
never to be bullied again
The authorities publicly
apologized
(profusely, of course)
but privately
excused it
as part of
the cost of
living in harmony
Harmony as defined by
embracing sameness
denying differences
Rather than the harmony
of valuing diversity,
individuality a strength,
not a weakness
to be shamed
So…
he swung
from his neck
on a basketball hoop
lifeless legs
never again
to grace the ground
and so…
his father
fought back tears
with balled fists
for to show
such emotion
is weakness
even when
it’s as natural
as mourning
the suicide of
one’s only child
So…
the mild-mannered Japanese
hiding true selves behind kabuki masks
keep things in order
In order
to harness
Harmony with a capital H
and put a noose
around the neck
of non-conformists
Welcome to Team Japan