Rainbow Bridge
“The bridge was
“the borderline to freedom,”
Old Koichi Kaminishi started
Talking with a distant look on his face"
Almost a century ago
There were people who came
All the way to Canada from Japan
Their hearts were full of hopes
And dreams to be fulfilled
But it was a foreign country
Japanese were considered
Outsiders and were not accepted
During these difficult times
The grown-ups wanted to do
Something to give
The children dreams
“Let’s form a strong
Japanese baseball team!”
The amateur baseball team was
Named the Vancouver Asahi
Baseball Team which later
Became a legend
And left its mark on the history
Of Canadian baseball
Koichi who was just a boy
Then became starry eyes
“I want to play baseball
For Asahi! ”
It was like a ray of light
Shining in a dark pit
He looked up to the sky
He felt as if his heart
Had wings
Yes, baseball has become
A ray of light
For all Japanese children
In a foreign country
Far from their home
Japanese never forgot
The samurai spirit and
Always played bravely
By the time Koichi
Passed the tryout, joined
The team and grew up
Asahi had become the strongest
And most respected team
In Canada
But this didn’t last long
Suddenly a war broke out
It took away everything
Japanese Canadians had created
Through hard work
“All we can take are
Just two suitcases.”
Koichi was forced to leave
His hometown with his mother
And was taken
To the internment camp
In Lillooet
Deep in the mountains
Inside one of the suitcases
He had a bat, a ball and a glove
“There are icicles hanging
From the ceiling of the house!”
It was very, very cold
Even their breaths froze
“I don’t care
I still have baseball.”
Koichi kept playing
No matter what
It was one of those days
“I love baseball, too!”
A Canadian smiled
With white teeth
He was Mr. Dowling, a guard
They soon became friends
For they shared the same dream
Koichi said to Mr. Dowling
“why don’t the Japanese and
Canadian teams play baseball
Together?”
But it was wartime
There was a wide river that
Ran between
The Japanese internment camp
And the town where Canadians
Lived and there was a bridge
Across the river
The bridge was called
“the borderline to freedom”
And the Japanese people
Were not allowed to cross
The bridge
Mr. Dowling made a great effort
To convince everyone
“Japanese are not bad people
They are fellow human beings
You will know this if you play
Baseball with them!”
Mr. Dowling’s message
Eventually got through
To the people of the town
The Japanese were finally
Allowed to cross the borderline
And play baseball with them
Everyone could relate
To one another through
Playing baseball and
The town was filled
With laughter
“Thank you, Mr. Dowling.”
Koichi shook Mr. Dowling’s hand
Firmly
There was nothing
To keep them apart
They were real friends now
Many years have passed
Since then and Koichi
Has become an old man
But even now
He can still recall
Mr. Dowling’s smile
Without exchanging actual words
They could understand
Each other through emotions
“When you’re weary
Feeling small
When tears are in your eyes
Like a bridge over troubled
Water
I will lay me down
Your time has come to shine
All your dreams are
On their way.”
Because you are
My everlasting friend
The bridge still exists
In the town of Lillooet where
The internment camp used to be
Of course
There is no “borderline
To freedom” anymore
And now everyone comes and goes
Freely over the rainbow bridge
That once connected the Japanese
And Canadians’ hearts
