Kamikaze by Beatrice Garland

A Japanese kamikaze pilot from World War Two decides to turn his plane around instead of going through with his suicide mission. He survives the war but faces rejection from his family and community for the rest of his life. The poem is told from the perspective of his daughter, who ultimately questions if enduring that life of shame was truly better than dying in the sea.

The poem conveys that he feels overwhelmed by the beauty of the world visible from the cockpit — the fishing boats, the sea's colors, and the everyday life unfolding below him. Garland doesn’t provide a clear rational explanation; instead, it feels like a deep, almost automatic draw back toward life.

The narrator, now an adult, is the pilot's daughter reflecting on her father's story. She tells it in a mix of third-person narration and direct addresses to him, creating a complex and uneasy intimacy. This approach mirrors her experience of inheriting a story she never fully got to understand.

'Kamikaze' translates to 'divine wind' in Japanese. This term was assigned to the suicide pilots, referencing the legendary storms that shielded Japan. By using this title ironically, Garland creates an expectation of a heroic death narrative — only to completely subvert it by recounting the story of a man who rejected that role.

It introduces distance and uncertainty. The daughter knows only bits and pieces of the story, leaving the reader with an incomplete view—much like actual family histories. This also suggests that the poem addresses inherited shame and silence as much as it focuses on the pilot's personal decision.

Garland doesn't preach, but the poem vividly illustrates how a culture's understanding of honor can turn into a kind of violence. The pilot's community punishes him for surviving, depicting this as a form of death in its own right. The closing question — which death is preferable — challenges the reader to consider whether the community's judgment was fair.

The poem uses free verse and lacks a regular rhyme scheme, enhancing its conversational and storytelling feel. The stanzas are mostly even in length, contributing to a steady, unhurried pace—similar to someone thoughtfully sharing a painful memory. There isn’t a dramatic climax; instead, the weight subtly accumulates and finds its resolution in the final lines.

Garland hasn't pointed to a specific historical figure. While the poem is imaginative, it’s based on real historical events: some kamikaze pilots did turn back and return home. The daughter-narrator is a fictional creation by Garland, serving as a means to explore the impact of such a decision on a family over generations.