History
Gathered around the fire, listening to my grandfather. His
story begins, “I should have been dead a long time ago.”
With little food and tons of Mickey Mouse money, war
placed him into circumstances beyond his control. Recognizing
Pro-Asia campaigns as cover-ups for colonization, he stole
food for his family. But, was caught. Beaten. His left leg
burned. About to be decapitated when, whether by luck
or faith, American airplanes crossed the sky. He ran
from the hole where we was almost finished digging his own
grave. No metaphors to explain that a piece of him
remains buried today. The blasting of bombs drowned out
his prayers to God–where morals were sliced as swiftly as
a plastic knife against a samurai sword. Babies tossed
in the air to be stabbed by bayonets. Piercing him
to contemplate whether resistance was worth
the risk. He was left to wonder: If a body falls in this forest,
will he be the only one to hear it? If he survives this war,
will he be the only one to tell it? His memories
might be unwritten, omitted, or barely footnoted in
academic studies. But, it will never be forgotten.
Gathered around the fire, listening to my grandfather,
History begins, “I should have been dead a long time ago.”
Reflection
This poem began as a personal narrative assignment for my ninth grade English class. The following year, it was restructured into a couplet for my creative writing class. I didn’t revisit the concept again until I was in college. It wasn’t for an assignment. I just wanted to pay homage to my ancestors. Only two lines of the original poem were kept in this final version.
Lolo Henry, my paternal grandmother’s eldest brother, was an amazing storyteller. As luck would have it, I had a family party the same weekend that I was tasked to take notes of an event for my assignment. Although he discussed various topics (war, family, childhood, religion, and more), most of this poem stemmed from moments he shared that night. A few lines were inspired by another elder (my best friend’s grandmother) who shared her experience during one of my visits. In addition, some lines were inspired by the historical backdrop and were included for context and understanding.
Prompt
As mentioned, our gathering was not only a sharing of his story but of history. For this week, I want you to retell a story that is not often included in the history textbooks. It can be your own story or from someone you know—sibling, cousin, parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, teacher, neighbor, friend.
Focus on one specific moment or event. War, immigration, emigration, discrimination, acculturation, death, accomplishment, contribution.
Feel free to interview others and/or conduct research that might help to better understand the time period.