Anniversary

afterward ...
red oleander
still blooming

NOTE: Following the atomic explosion over Hiroshima [08/06/1945], many survivors feared that nothing would grow on the decimated earth. By the time spring of 1946 arrived, the citizens of Hiroshima were surprised to find the landscape dotted with the blooming red petals of the oleander. The oleander flower, called the kyochikuto in Japanese, dispelled worries that the destroyed city had lost all its fertility and inspired the population with hope that Hiroshima would soon recover from the tragic bombing. ~ Dan Listwa, Columbia University

First published in Puddock 08/06/2024

naturehaiku

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