Destructive Power (Choice piece)

Our nation fell to chaos,

Power radiates through every molecule,
Smoke and dust cloud the air,
The ground trembles in awe of the staggering power,
Debris covers the splintered ground,
The mass of water, like some terrifying, beautiful creature,
Crashes head first into the ground and disperses,
Taking everything with it in its inland rush,
All is destroyed, yet the land is swept clean,
People still quiver in fear,
The atmosphere is full of pain,
Glowing, searing fury escapes as a vent is blown open in a fiery display of power,
The smell of death is heavy,
Plumes of orange and cherry red molten earth erupt violently,
Launching the burning jewels to scorch the air,
Piles of the dead continuously increase,
The cascades of fluid stone wind their path downward leisurely,
As if time has slowed and the earths fury is in no rush,
Cries of sorrow echo throughout the nation,
Aftershocks still shake the nation,
The seismograph needle darts back and forth, dancing to the beat of tectonics,
It scribbles its lines, its ink paintings, in rapid response to the unfolding phenomenon
The map is adorned with orange hot spots,
Which accentuate the red concentric circles that spread from the epicenter,
Ripples on a sea of death, hope, despair, survival, beauty, and tears,
The fault lines are highlighted in yellow, the jagged scars of the earths clashes with itself,
Fewer and fewer survivors are being found by rescue groups,
Despair has begun to set in.

 (Tsunami) (Ekphrastic Piece)

Kashima must be busy, distracted or asleep

Namazu is moving
his writhing shakes the earth
the tiny catfish knew, knew what was to come
soon they would be swept from their tiny pond
receding water from the shore
magnificent cascading dark azure foaming waves
birds flying high seemingly without a care
to find a place to land and rest their wings
water rushes through the trees as though they were reeds
the land has disappeared
the water is king here
Power courses through each wave

mountains are humbled before the water

Buildings fall with ease
Namazu is flailing
Kashima is failing
Hokusai (Hybrid Piece)
Click. Click. Click.
The sounds my heels make across the sleek wooden floor. I stop in front of a painting
that has an image seen through the history of Japanese art. My eyes flit over the painting taking
in every detail.
Ocean crests of salty water,
whirling, twirling, chunning, sweeping,
fingers of foam, circling around,
Water, water everywhere.
In the background
Mt. Fuji stands unmoving
In this painting I only see beauty and power. How can something that causes so much
harm be captured so beautifully by paint and a brush? It seems so surreal that this tsunami is
the same thing that toppled Japan and traveled across the ocean to Hawaii. My gaze locks on
the azure wave. The wave capped with foam is captivating. Its amazing that an artist can
capture the depth of such an incredible event.
One wave
disrupts the peaceful ocean
the power of the ocean
concentrates in this wave
one wave is all it takes
I turn to the nearest attendant, Id like to buy this painting.
Click. Click. Click.

The sound my heels make exiting the exhibit across the sleek wooden floor. In my hands
I grasp my newly bought painting. The painting that captures an irresistibly, beautiful, powerful
image.

Bhkampa (POV)
Black. All I can see is black. Where has the sun gone? Is it night? Are the moon and the
stars hidden behind clouds or am I inside a building? Where am I? Have I died? Is this death?
No, that isnt right, I cant be dead. I can feel pain; you cannot feel pain if you are dead. At least
thats what people say. Suddenly, I am aware of the sounds around me. So many sounds, how
did I not notice them before? Why do I hear crying? Why are people shouting over here!?
What has happened? I feel a cool breeze on my arm.
Over here! A voice shouts from what sounds like above me.
Heavy weights are lifted off of me. Memories flood back as fresh air touches my face.
Clarity. Everything has become clear. I know what has happened here. I slowly move my fingers
even though pain threatens my consciousness.
Hurry! Theyre alive! A voice from above shouts again.
A strong desire to live rushes through my jaded, impaired body. Swallowing painfully, I
open my dry mouth.
Help... I say in a scratchy voice.
As weight is removed from on top of me my pain increases. Darkness turns to light and
light turns to darkness as my vision fades in and out. I can feel myself being pulled. Opening my
eyes, I find myself being removed from a large pile of rubble. Looking around, my pain feels
obsolete. My nation, my beautiful nation...it has fallen apart. I am placed on a stretcher and
taken to a hospital. On our way the amount of destruction and bodies I see is unreal. The
hospital is worse. Bodies are piled everywhere. Doctors and nurses are rushing from patient to
patient. Everything is consumed in chaos. Compared to others who have been buried, my
injuries are minor.

I walk slowly out of the hospital, absorbing the damage. Dozens of funeral pyres are
burning by large puddles of water, filling the air with smoke. Temples and monuments that are
over 400 years old have been flattened, reduced to dust lying on the ground.
A large lump rises in my throat as I whisper, Whatre we going to do?
I join a search party in hopes of finding others alive. We find many bodies, but none of
them are alive, which leaves us depressed. I walk around a pile of rubble, sweeping away some
of the top layer. My hand brushes a pile of wood. I remove some debris. I find myself looking at
a pile of broken boards. I remove a board blocking my view. Squinting my eyes, I look for
survivors. I see a head almost hidden between the boards.
Over here! I shout, prying boards from the rubble.
My search party races over. Working as a team, we slowly dig out a space big enough
for a person to crawl through. My heart is racing as a man crawls into the space to check for life.
Please be alive. Please be alive! I pray, hope will be revived if he is alive.
There's another person in here! The man shouts.
We spring back into action. The boards seem to be never ending. My muscles start to
burn and it takes more and more effort to lift and move boards. We carefully remove a woman
and a little boy.
Are they alive? I ask.
A man checks the womans pulse. He raises his head solemnly and shakes his head
before moving to the boy.
I see his eyes widen before he shouts, Alive...Alive!

Cheers go up from our group. A small group of us, including me, quickly transport the
boy on a homemade stretcher to the nearest hospital. I stay with the boy while the others head
back to find more survivors. I hold his hand and pray, Buddha help us!

Nepal (Poem)
Aid groups and Nepalese officials are aware of critical situations,
This is not the time to rest or lament,
This is the time to step up and save lives,
To hear this tears me up inside

Heartbreaking scenes of suffering and loss

play out across this shell-shocked nation,
Kathmandu, capital of shattered temples and toppled houses,
workers stoke the flames for Hindu cremation ceremonies
filling the air with smoke and peace for the deceased

Many nights we've prayed

With no proof anyone could hear
Scattered camps, torn roofs, boards makeshift shelters of debris
in the ruins Pauwathok,
a wooden sign stands,
"WE NEED HELP. PLEASE HELP.",
a convoy of covered trucks approaches,
but does not stop

it's easy to give in to ones fears

after more than 70 aftershocks,
"Everything has been flattened,"
how can we heal our world?

troubles come, and though my hearts burdened,

Now, we are not afraid.
Although we know there's much to fear
when you're blinded by your pain
together we are strong