Poetry as Trauma Healing: A Closer Look Into Poetry Collection Arigatou no Shi and Tsunami Aceh 10 Tahun

Indonesia and Japan are the countries that often experience earthquakes. On December 26, 2004, an enormous earthquake followed by a tsunami occurred in Aceh, Indonesia. In the eastern part of Japan, the Tohoku region, there was also a big earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, which caused the tragic loss of many Japanese who lived near the seashore. Because of some similarities in the area and the natural phenomenon that had happened in both countries, it assumes that citizens of both countries have some strategies to heal and balance their life with nature. This assumption matches well with a concept in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially the 12th point regarding awareness in enhancing life with nature. To heal oneself from trauma and improve one’s understanding of nature, several ways may be possible to carry out, and one of them is through poetry. This article discusses the Japanese poetry collectionArigatou no Shi made from a project after the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Indonesian poetry collection Tsunami Aceh 10 Tahun by Taufiq Ismail to understand the strategies of citizens in creating harmony with nature. Moreover, this article also discusses how those works heal and encourage citizens in Aceh and Tohoku Region, Japan.