In Japan, fireworks may hold a new recognition. The annual fireworks festivals are etched into the childhoods of many, blending into theire growth and encompassing memories of time spent with family and friends.
Therefore, for Japanese people, fireworks might be something too familiar and too everyday. As a result, when the word “fireworks” appears in English poem, it might be difficult for it to have a special impression.
I would like to recommend a very short English poem:
No Explosions
by Naomi Shihab NyeTo enjoy
fireworks
you would have
to have lived
a different kind
of life
The author is American but a Palestinian descent. Whether this poem is written from the perspective of a child in Gaza or a dialogue with a child in Gaza is unclear, but in any case, the “fireworks” depicted in the poem refer to a different scene. They are the trajectories and explosions of rockets and interceptor missiles. This is outside the range of everday experiences for Japanese people.
