Two lovers separated meet up at the Tanabata Festival under large colourful streamers spiralling down from high ceilings of Sendai’s shopping arcade a woman pushes a stroller past fast food designer shops places selling green tea ice cream and octopus balls on popsicle sticks long and sharp samurai swords swing in a parade after fan dancers blow humid August air around a promenade of towering trees sculptures city benches where the woman with the stroller now rests and smiles at people bending over gazing at her bundle of joy eyebrows rise mouths grin and exclaim SUGOI one of my first Japanese words GREAT I rush to see the baby but a bark startles me into realizing the infant is a four-legged creature a diaper between its hind legs a diamond studded collar sparkles like the stars that guided the lost lovers to each other across the Milky Way a yellow light shirt with an unusual English logo I’M A HORNY TOAD is draped over the dog as though it’s in heat and after a year’s separation the lovers would understand this sentiment SUGOI pouring out of my half-smiling mouth