夏休み

8/12 夕立

in the late afternoon the clouds open and water falls, all of sudden and with force
i am reminded of the monsoons in malaysia
the waves

a basket of freshly washed linen
still wet, dripping white
overturned on the street

8/13 大凶

on the thirteenth day, among the swords and cameras at sensoji, i draw a dark fortune
crippled, i grip my cane with a bird-like claw, my palm black with bruises

i see a girl and her grandmother standing before the steps

i am reminded of death; of joy

8/14 サムライFRANCAIS

a carpenter, he swims the kamogawa at night, burns incense each morning at the altar, wears a white headband ringed with symbols of power and strength
while he vaccuums the tatami

8/14 稲荷

In the 19th year of Oyei, Oji no Tachibana of the Hoshoji at Inari met with a serious accident and his life was in danger. The god of Inari took possession of a girl and said through her mouth, ‘If the Kwanze performs some plays for me, the sick man will recover.’ Seami, quoted in The Noh Plays of Japan, Arthur Waley

we find, deep in the heart of the mountain, down strange turnings and rough paths, a font of water springing pure and strong from the rock. surrounded by stone foxes, stern gazes locked on us, we bathe our feet in the stream, rest a while, and pass on

8/16 大文字

the character 大 burns brightly on the mountain; a man with arms and legs stretched wide to their utmost. the man is the universe. the man is endless

later, on stone islands in the kamogawa, we send fire flowers into the night sky. young people laugh, and i feel both a child and an ancient, and i feel i have once stood where they stand, and have laughed just so

8/18, 8/24 踊り

in juuban, the 盆 movements are simple and gentle, short cycles, shuffling forward and back, a slow happy dance, calling the spirits of loved ones

in otsuka, the 阿波 is passionate and strong, the drums roll like stormclouds, the summer rains filling the rice with sunlight.

the women are beautiful and their movements are free. torchlight flickers on strands of hair sprung loose from a straw hat, sticking with sweat on the nape of the neck

the air is bright with rhythm and laughing drunken abandon; happiness

8/23 ゲーム

A field of autumn leaves. A white table. A white seat at each edge. Four businessmen approach, place briefcases neatly, take seats. Ties slowly removed and folded, hair combed, one cracks a can of citrus cola like a nut, crisp and clean. From jewelled cases they take cards, decks prepared for the occasion, slight adjustments after a strictly casual glance at the opposition, a card here and there replaced, a shift of focus, chinks in armor, thin blades. The cards are layed on the table. The game begins.

8/24 BIG FUCK-OFF GLASSES

in harajuku, the mirrorshades are huge

8/25 SPIRALS > CIRCLES

perfection is overrated
if you go in circles you go nowhere
far better, then, to deviate
to move in a spiral
to build momentum
and power through orbital movement
and to fling oneself outwards
ever widening arcs
looping back in for another revolution
passing so close to the line but never crossing
ever hastening
reaching terminal velocity

what is that centre?
and if i break from it, where to in the void?

ON THE DAY that was meant to be the last, I returned to the temple and received a second fortune. It reads:

All of your family members should be patient and careful. You had better believe in gods or Buddha. Everything will go slowly and not progressive because devils will give you damage, and many mistakes and misunderstandings will happen.

Even if you might lose treasure, it will appear again. Do your best, then the situation will change and you can get good fortune.