Poetry-Ghosts of Manzanar

ghosts of manzanar
by Jenni Emiko Kuida

this morning i met the ghosts of manzanar
walking around the auditorium,
i started to feel a chill

maybe it was the desert wind
maybe it was the air floating through my happi coat
but i felt them.

and as i turned the corner,
i saw mt. whitney, wisps of clouds swirling through
the snow touched peaks.

after ten years of coming to these pilgrimages
i wandered in to the auditorium,
just opened to the public this weekend
and i felt them.

i closed my eyes and i could see life going on 60 years ago...
people staging plays and performances
as if they were back home

people graduating from high school
as if they were back home

kids playing basketball in the gym
like we're trying to get back home (in little tokyo)

people like my mom and dad and grandma's too
people like the muslims, arabs and the sikhs

this morning i said hello to the ghosts of manzanar
and as the morning's chill turned into a gusty windy day,
I went about my day,
giving back to my community,
at the manzanar pilgrimage and manzanar after dark.

dedicated to the manzanar after dark program - april 27, 2002.