Well Wishers


I used to often wonder
Why some people wore top hats
While others did not, 
And I still do sometimes.

On the ship where Japan surrendered
The Japanese officials wore top hats
And tailcoats to show how much
The Samurai had evolved in dignity.

They signed under the printed words
That certified their defeat
In no uncertain terms with hands
Covered with white gloves.

The picture is in black and white
And I could never imagine
The top hatted men in colour
And the others in beige.

To this day a lot has been said
About the course of events that led
To the end of the age of the Samurai
And the beginning of nothing else.

The well wishers gather more often
Than they need to because they sway
Side to side milling with the crowd
And for once nobody minds. 

Bevagna 29 9 2011