Chrysthanthemum

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November 26th, 1937
Liaodong, The Republic of China



I tread monotonously across the ground
Ichi, Ni, San, Ichi, Ni, San- I count my steps
I cannot draw breath, I cannot scream in frustration
Onward I march for the glory of the Empire

My home, my family, is worlds away
I miss my friends. What's become of Naomi? On what field does Joji lay?
This was supposed to be asameshi-mae (朝飯前) ("Done Before Breakfast")
These シナ人　("Chinese"), they fight with Honor
They are no different from anyone I've met in 日本 (Japan)
Our generals lied to us

Regardless, I am one of the 天皇 (Emperor's) children
I fight for my country, I fight for my people, I fight for.....

I've seen things that would make mother and father tremble
Irrelevance. I'm alone in this
Blood, death, the trigger of my Arisaka
All of this horror under the Rising Sun

I don't want to fight. I don't want to kill
Mother taught me to be kind, to be generous
Yet, this Chrysanthemum on my uniform forces me to fight

I want to see Mother again; I want to gaze upon Tokyo once more
Thoughts of a distant home keep me marching
I am torn asunder by my duty to my country, to my duty as a person

Every night I lay awake, wide eyed
Bullets whizzing by, a hammering of artillery - dead comrades, dead enemy
What is the point?
This is their land, not mine
Why am I here?

Feeling guilt, dishonor for self salvation
My heart sinks and my rifle lowers
I cannot be here
I'm caught up in war. Senseless war

- PFC Kenji Terada
K Squad, 2nd Platoon, D Company,
14th Rifle Battalion, 5th Infantry Brigade
3rd Division (幸兵団 Kō-heidan)

This is a great poem! Is it supposed to take place in the time Japan tried to take over China?

you got it. This is from the Sino-Japanese War (the war in the Pacific that Japan was invovled in before the USA got involved. I'm American and many Americans think that everything revolves around us and that the war in the Pacific started with Pearl Harbor...Japan had actually been in China since 1931 and had conquered and colonized Korea inthe early 1900s. Taiwan was their colony too. This specific poem is from the operations near The Battle of Shanghai.

I thought Pearl Harbor was what got the U.S. involved in World War II. Japan was one of Germany's allies in that war, but as far as I am concerned, these two wars are not connected in any way.

you are totally correct. PC was what got the USA involved- I just meant that a lot of Americans are not aware that in both Europe and the Pacific the enemy was already involved for years. Germany spent a lot of its best men against the Soviet Union....and lost. Japan had lost its best troops in China as thetve been at war there for years and years before Pearl Harbor.

Hi, as an Asian, I enjoy reading any poem inspired by Asian history. I love every single line in your poem, especially "I'm caught up in war. Senseless war." I feel as if the Japanese soldier's despair (He can't possibly escape from the army.) has infected me.