'Cause It's Raining...

March 21st

It is still ...

Raining

Window in the morning.

Maria had an appointment with her hair stylist.  The hair salon was in a walking distance from her apartment. But it was raining.  Norippe called a wheelchair accessible cab.  The cab fare was about $57 for a ride less than 5 minutes.  "If I could use a regular cab, the fee would be $9.00.  If I could walk, it would be for free," Maria wrote.

Maria's former colleague, Tomeko, came with home made sweets and a hand knitted lap blanket.  "I'll cherish it for all time," Maria wrote.

19:00 Norippe is leaving.

She hugged me, like an American,

Tightly, much more tightly than before.

For three days

She assisted me to 

Have meals

To take a shower

To go to the bathroom

To clean and organize the apartment and

To shop.

Thank you very much for your care.

I thought I could never go for a drive.

Sometime a friend, sometime a mother, sometime a colleague.

Norrippe, let's go on a trip together

In the next life.

It's quiet

In this room.

I am waiting for the one

I am waiting for KP

Coincidence or by telepathy

The moment I thought about him

I got a mail from KP

"I can't come tonight.  I'll be there as soon as possible tomorrow."

That's all.

What should I do?  I can't go to the bathroom tonight.

What should I do?  What should I do?

The diaper is far away.

I can't reach the medication.

I shouldn't have drunk water.

The last time I went to the bathroom was at 19:00

How long should I wait till the morning.

I can't stand up by myself anymore.

MAMA is away in Kyoto.

An uber practical problem I'm facing.

My pulse is beating fast

In the anxious night

Desperately waiting for the morning to come.

Poem by Maria Franki

Edited and translated by J. Ujiie

©2011