Her Dread Power

Does Mount Fuji
glimpsed from Aoyama dori
or the Asakusa Prince hotel,
or in venerable ukiyo-e
harbour a new secret
it will not divulge? Did the
Aoyama Twin Towers
sway to the Earth's
imperial upheaval?

Towns and villages
cleansed of vehicles,
boats, shipping containers,
residents - as Nature
impulsively shrugged,
opted for chaos, then
the brutally clean sweep
of walls of swooping water
harrying all before them.

The sudden dull roar
as the Earth shudders,
attempts to turn over
in its long sleep. The
grating of tectonic plates
shattering the illusion
of trust in order and peaceful
normalcy. Homes and buildings
clatter and shatter,
people flee to panicked escape.

The ruins of the day leave
a catastrophic pain and
disorder and giant waves
race across the ocean
to remind the world that
what happens there
has impact here, and
nowhere is secure when
Nature becomes bored
with rest, turning
loose her dread power.