“Let Us Shake Hands,” by the gifted woman poet Kurihara Sadako: “Hello, American soldiers,” call out little militarists, throwing away their toy guns. They were busy with their game of war until only yesterday. “Hello, American soldiers,” they call. In their little hearts spring out longings toward people of unfamiliar race. “Hello, American soldiers! Was it you who fought our fathers until only yesterday? But you smile at us brightly: You are not the beast that grown-ups had made us believe.” We want to touch your big hands, We want to shake hands with you.27
