Hikari Honda

The same familiar taste at dinner

The road home I’d grown tired of walking

Friends I could see anytime

My mother calling out my name

Stepping on shadows along the rice field path

The old worn-down bridge in Nishimuta

Peeking down from above into the riverbed

A white heron taking flight

I thought it would last forever—

That blue sky and those white clouds

Days that will never return again

If I close my eyes, they’re still here

A home-run into the summer sky

Cheers rising all at once

The footrace at the sports day

My friend bursting from the start

I was so proud of that figure

Running faster than anyone else

Moments that will never return again

If I listen closely, they’re still here

After the evening rain had passed

A cool, gentle breeze would blow

The sound of the baseball broadcast

And my father sitting there

It all just passed by as something ordinary

I only wanted to leave as soon as I could

Days that will never return again

If I close my eyes, they’re still here

Back then, I never even noticed

That blue sky and those white clouds

Days that will never return again

If I close my eyes, they’re still here