Cat-Bus

Dedicated to the tragic and true story behind the Miyazaki movie, Totoro.

Careless carol-minded fractures

occurred on that day,

the day she lost her shadow.

The body of innocence and love

was left mangled on the country rode

the day she took the bus.

Pain and suffering long enough-

until the bus on eight legs came prancing into view.

Older sister with such tears would soon go mad and lose her shadow too.

Her colors would pale and the dates would be wrong on the day the bus's smile came into view.

By God what a bus-

that only shows itself to children,

so friendly, so captivating, a tantalizing way to go.

When the bus came she was nowhere-

with bare feet broken and muddy.

She would be found in the garden

but seated by her sister on the furry cush of the bus.

The parents will get the dates wrong

 and weep as they see their children's shell

and hold their hearts as the bus' headlights are off in the view,

and soon lose their shadow too, when they hear Totoro's tune. 

Reviews

[sivan]

very sad poem... love this line
The parents will get the dates wrong

[Issac Scott]

I love this, and I absolutely love "My Neighbor Totoro"-- brilliant film. This left me with a sinister, sad vibe instead of the happy-uppity Totoro vibe. By my own translation, and of course this is just my own subjective view, this was about a child growing up into an adult, leaving behind her parents and her childhood? At least that was my interpretation.

Anyway, lovely and well-crafted piece.

[Fish]

Thank you so much! ^.^ This poem is actually dedicated to the REAL story of Totoro. Before Miyazaki created the film, a brutal kidnapping/murder occurred. The girl kidnapped is portrayed as May in the film. May goes missing, leaving her family distraught.May is when the film happened, I believe Suzuki is also another Japanese word for the season in which the event occurred. She is then offered up for ransom etc, but then even after the money is payed she is still gone. Awhile later she is found on a forrest road, raped and murdered. If you notice, halfway through the movie, May's character loses her shadow when she takes the Cat-Bus, the Cat-Bus, along with Totoro, are Shinigamis, (Gods of Death) The Cat-Bus is a shinigami that takes children to the after life. Just as in the real story, Suzuki (her older sister) takes her life, and also loses her shadow and her coloring grows less vibrant, she too takes the cat-bus to the after life. In the real story the girls' mother is hospitalized, just as in the movie. Also if you notice int he background, the calendar shows that the movie is not shown in chronological order. It goes from flashbacks to the present, as the mother thinks she feels their presence at the end of the movie etc, which has the two children's ghosts chilling with Totoro, a God Of Death who watches after children.

[Issac Scott]

I'm completely mind-f*cked right now. I would have never knew any of this; thank you for teaching me the lore behind the film. And I found it so cute and cuddly too, so that's just wild. I totally need to re-watch Totoro now; I'll take so much more away from it. I was pretty must obsessed with Shinigamis after watching the "Death Note" anime series. Ahh, I love Asian cinema and folklore.

Now I want to watch "Spirited Away", as well. Myazaki is a genius.

[Fish]

Spirited Away is about prostitution just FYI haha XD

[Issac Scott]

I should have figured. Everything I thought was a lie. -.- hahahaha.

[Fish]

XD Sorry XD It definitely makes it more interesting though :3