An earlier version of
this paper appeared in the WATERTOWN
TAB, page B2, Friday, May 9, 2014.
Sheila Parks reading her open letter to Prime Minister Abe of Japan.
(Image by Skip Schiel) Details DMCA
For
the third anniversary of Fukushima, March 11,
2014, this is an open letter to Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe and the
Japanese Consul General of Boston,
Akira Muto.
I read this letter out
loud and via mic check at the special vigil On Behalf of Planet Earth held on
March 13th, 2014 at the Japanese Consulate/Boston to remember the 3rd
anniversary of Fukushima.
On Behalf of Planet Earth has been vigiling weekly at the Japanese
Consulate/Boston since October 2014. We stand in solidarity with the people of Japan, who
asked that people worldwide do so.
Several of us from the weekly
vigil wrote letters from our hearts to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and to Consul General
of Boston Akira Muto. After our vigil,
two of us then met with a representative of the Consul General in the lobby of
the building where the Consulate is located and where we vigil. She came downstairs to receive our letters
with a colleague of hers. Others stayed vigiling outside, facing us, while we
talked with and gave our letters to the aide. We gave them to her in two
folders - one for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and one for Consul General of
Boston Akira Muto. We put lots and lots
and lots of tiny multi colored peace cranes in each folder.
On March 14th,
the woman we work with at the Consulate emailed me that "Our Consulate
General Muto read them [our letters] and I transferred all the letters to the
head office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, [in Japan] already."
This is my letter from my heart.
March 13, 2014
His Excellency, Prime
Minister, Shinzo Abe
Consul General Akira Muto
Greetings Your Excellency Prime Minister Abe and Mr. Muto:
I write knowing that we must not stand idly by.
I write knowing that we will not stand idly by.
I write with my heart running over with grief.
I write with my eyes brimming over with tears.
I have cried oceans about Fukushima.
Sleepless nights because of Fukushima.
What will we tell our children?
How will we look in the
mirror?
What will we tell ourselves?
I write with my heart aching for the children of the world who will get cancer
from Fukushima.
I write with my heart aching for the people of Japan
suffering immeasurably from Fukushima.
I write with my heart aching for the whole world, for all of us suffering
immeasurably from Fukushima.
I wonder what will it take to close down all the nuclear power plants all over
the world?
I wonder what will it take to say we are sorry that we ever built them?
I wonder what will it take to stop the lies?
I wonder what will it take to stop the madness?
I wonder who will do it?
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