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In 1999 I was present at the tenth anniversary party of the
Seattle Go Centre. It was found by Iwamoto Kaoru sensei,
who was famously playing a title match in Hiroshima when the
first
atomic bomb fell. He saw his efforts to develop go internationally
as a force for understanding and peace. I was asked to produce
a poem for the occasion. This was a challenge for me, as all my
previous efforts had been light in style. This was what I offered.
A flash of blinding light;
Destruction yet without a name.
Two battling senseis bear no blame
Continuing their fight.
At last all conflicts cease.
In many lands go starts to flourish.
Sensei wonders how to nourish
This great force for peace.
Fifty years have passed,
And Sensei's dream's fulfilled;
Resources, people found, to build
Go's citadel at last.
Beneath the bridge now flow
A decade's waters. Sensei's gone,
But let his vision here live on,
A world of peace through go.
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