Last updated: 2025 November 18

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Pearl Harbor Day

Pearl Harbor Day

A deadly surprise,

Bombs rained from December skies.

Black oil tears still rise.

Although the Japanese haiku poetic form is not supposed to utilize a rhyme scheme, I deliberately “Americanized” it with rhyme as a tribute to the 2,403 American citizens who lost their lives in Hawai’i on 1941 December 07 from the Japanese surprise attack. I did this to honor those Americans who died and not to disrespect Japanese culture — it is my hope that melding the two traditions together symbolizes the healing and peace between the two nations.

I had the honor and privilege of visiting the USS Arizona memorial in person. It was a very powerful and haunting sight to see the black oil specks in the water that still leak from the submerged oil tanks of the sunken ship.

David

2016 December 07

urn:oid:1.3.6.1.4.1.64067.1.0.2016.12.7.0

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