Desert on the Moon. i ey

There is a big rabbit who is pounding steamed rice into cake.

On the veranda

I see

the harvest moon.

Few stars

defeated by numerous lights but the moon,

round full moon,

So clear — gold.

Eating a rice cake

with bean jam,

I ask my sister,

How can I see the big rabbit?

My sister says

she knows the secret way to go there.

That night, I go there, Desert on the moon.

Sand-laden wind

blows. i Countless stars

twinkle.

I walk with my sister searching for the big rabbit. Barefooted,

soft fine gold sand

steps into the thin spaces between my toes.

Following my sister, I grasp the end of her shirt.

She says This is our Great Expedition.

—Chie Katsuda

[10]