Dear Regular Readers,
Welcome to another edition of our newsletter and as always I hope that if and when you click it open there is something in it that you feel is worth a read.
It looks like international tourism is stating back up again in Japan which is great news for the economy here; however, according to the tourism board in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia tourists are more than a little hesitant in wanting to book their Japan holidays due to what they believe are very tight travel restrictions. Masks will need to be worn at pretty much all times, full medical cover is required and tourists must join a travel group, they cannot travel around individually. As a foreign person that lives and works in Japan I can fully understand why Japan wants to play things very cautiously; however, unless Japan revises its approach to accepting foreign tourists I doubt tourism will provide anywhere near the boost that the economy needs.
This week I have put together a few lines of poetry to explore the topic of families that live away from each other, sometimes as far as over on the other side of the world, and whether the distance is due to marriage or work there are times when family members fall ill and or just plain get to the end of their lives and at such times this can cause a lot of uncertainty and worry, especially for individuals like myself that live overseas. It’s not always easy to just jump on an airplane and go home because we have to consider our work and family commitments, so we rely on brothers and sisters if we have them to keep us updated on the condition of family members. Some of us living overseas have plenty of family support back home, but some of us have little or no support and when you don’t have a close member of family you can keep in touch with about a sick family member then this only adds to an already stressful situation. In some cases we have no choice but to drop everything and immediately return home, regardless of the consequences. A recent conversation with a staff member prompted me to look at how I could address this topic through poetry, so I hope you like what I have created below.
Until next week, enjoy your weekend ahead and we’ll be back again with you next week.
Out of one and in through another.
It’s my mum you see.
She’s always depended on me.
My father left when I was young.
My mother raised me, my hero unsung.
I had my own life to lead.
When the time came I found it hard to leave.
She knew I had to breathe.
But my breath blew her closer to death.
Out of one and in through another.
Opening and closing doors.
Lost in between the ceilings and floors.
I’m now ready to say goodbye to my mother.
She’s almost at the front of the door.
Her heavy fist raised and ready for one last knock.
The sound of the key turning in the lock.
I could not have loved her anymore.
A poem by Stephen Austwick