I read Ikiru Kotoba by Machi Tawara.

When I turned the pages, I felt something warm in my chest.
Her words came into my body quietly and deeply.

One chapter, “Learning from Bad Replies,” was very good.
I thought it should be in a textbook about information and the internet.
It teaches us how to live in the online world.

There is one poem by Machi Tawara that I like very much:

A girl who likes grilled meat and gratin　I like your father.

When I read it, I think, “What is happening here?”
My imagination starts to move fast.
The poem is open, direct, and a little scary.
But that scary feeling is exciting.

I also write short poems, but only a little.
Sometimes I think, “This is a good poem.”
But when I read it again later, I often feel it is not very good.

It is not easy to make the rhythm of a poem smooth.
I also feel I do not have enough power to choose the best words.
Maybe I trust words too much.
Maybe I depend on them too much.
When I am very sad or very angry, I know that words cannot show my true feelings.
But in daily life, I forget this.
Maybe I do not have enough seriousness or strong will.

No one holds me anymore　I become a walnut and roll on the floor.

I wrote this poem when I felt very alone.
I became an adult, I became a mother,
and my husband only thought about himself.
He was not someone I could depend on.

I thought, “Maybe no one will protect me anymore.”
If I cannot rely on anyone, I must just wait quietly until the pain passes.
A walnut is hard, small, and lonely.
That feeling matched my heart at that time.

This poem was not chosen for any award,
but I still care about it.
When I read it now, I think the last part is not strong enough.

It is difficult to write a poem that someone else can share or feel.
I think I have more skill than before,
but I still feel it is not enough.

When I write a poem, I often stop and think.
I want to be honest with myself and with the world.
Words are only signs with meaning.
They do not have power by themselves.
They become strong only when we choose them carefully
and put them together with purpose.

I am still learning how to do that.