TSUNAMI vs. the FUKUSHIMA 50
ALSO BY LEE ANN RORIPAUGH
Dandarians
On the Cusp of a Dangerous Year
Year of the Snake
Beyond Heart Mountain
TSUNAMI vs. the FUKUSHIMA 50
poems Lee Ann Roripaugh
MILKWEED EDITIONS
© 2019, Text by Lee Ann Roripaugh
All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical articles or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher: Milkweed Editions, 1011 Washington Avenue South, Suite 300, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55415.
(800) 520-6455
Published 2019 by Milkweed Editions
Printed in the United States of America
Cover design by Mary Austin Speaker
Cover artwork by Chie Yoshii: Dragon. Oil on wood panel.
Author photo by Cathy Flum
19 20 21 22 23 5 4 3 2 1
First Edition
Milkweed Editions, an independent nonprofit publisher, gratefully acknowledges sustaining support from the Ballard Spahr Foundation; the Jerome Foundation; the McKnight Foundation; the National Endowment for the Arts; the Target Foundation; and other generous contributions from foundations, corporations, and individuals. Also, this activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund, and a grant from Wells Fargo. For a full listing of Milkweed Editions supporters, please visit milkweed.org.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Roripaugh, Lee Ann, author.
Title: Tsunami vs. the Fukushima 50 : poems / Lee Ann Roripaugh.
Description: First edition. | Minneapolis, Minnesota : Milkweed Editions, 2019.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018033636 (print) | LCCN 2018034332 (ebook) | ISBN 9781571319494 (ebook) | ISBN 9781571314857 (pbk. : alk. paper)
Classification: LCC PS3568.O717 (ebook) | LCC PS3568.O717 A6 2019 (print) | DDC 811/.54—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018033636
Milkweed Editions is committed to ecological stewardship. We strive to align our book production practices with this principle, and to reduce the impact of our operations in the environment. We are a member of the Green Press Initiative, a nonprofit coalition of publishers, manufacturers, and authors working to protect the world’s endangered forests and conserve natural resources. tsunami vs. the fukushima 50 was printed on acid-free 30% postconsumer-waste paper by Versa Press.
This book is a tribute to, in memory and honor of, the victims and survivors of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, and the subsequent Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.
For heroes, both visible and invisible.
For the ferocity of women. May we all survive and rise.
For the troubled legacies and unexpected gifts of trauma: the wounds and the superpowers, the hypervigilance, the Mothra-like antennae.
For Kundiman, beautiful poetry tribe.
For sisters, chosen family, and friends: Emily Haddad, Cathy Flum, Susan Wolfe, Pen Pearson, Caroline Hong, Allison Adelle Hedge Coke, Lindy Obach, Bridget Jacobs, Katy Beem, Natanya Ann Pulley, and Darlene Farabee, among many others, with love.
For all of my many wonderful colleagues and students at the University of South Dakota, the University of Nebraska MFA in Writing, and the Carlow University MFA in Writing, with much gratitude for your inspiration and community.
For all of the mentors, editors, journals, presses, and reading venues who have supported my work over the years with such kindness and generosity—including a special thanks to Daniel Slager and the entire staff of Milkweed Editions.
For Nobu, Aiko, Nanami, Kuzuri, Yuki, Tampopo, Genji, Muku, Kenji, Ten-chan, and Kumo.
And, with love always, for Bruce, my sweet giant, who fills the cracks with gold.
contents
animal portents foretell the rise of tsunami
hungry tsunami / tsunami as galactus
shapeshifter tsunami: a scary epithalamium
miki endo as flint marko (a.k.a. sandman)
tsunami battles the pink robots / french poststructuralist tsunami