Mizu (Water)
I wrote the kanji of your name
In water on a paving stone in the garden
Each brushstroke a prayer to heal you
The sun stole the first letter before I finished
It was impossible to compose your name in full
Even when I raced through it
Life: one second within the stretches of time
A droplet that splashes, stains and fades
Ending almost as soon as it begins
—Tamiko Mackison
—found in Amethyst Review (August 17, 2021)