August 21st, 2006
115615869606909327
Saturday in sun
Originally recorded June 24, 2006
The first golden rays to meet my eyes in weeks, a sweltering blissful day along the Kanda, to my alma mater, to Waseda. Stopping along the way, taking pictures. Beat houses, engulfing ivy, and sweet storefront paperbacks. Meandering, loving the nowhere, the gardens, alleys, and streets so full of character. Stop outside of Mejiro crossing for a pencil; buy a pad, and a glass pitcher so I can make sun tea. Miles Davis paints a glorious summer with Sketches of Spain and I stroll into a mom and pop liquor store for a green bottled Tsingtao, opened by the cashier.
Wo, little breeze, sweat beaded on my forearms and brow. Sweat behind dark Italian hair, sweat so thankful. Thank the Lord I am outside and soaking in the best of my free life. Elderly ladies with walkers, young boys with trading cards; little girls wobble after their fathers on pink training-wheeled bicycles. The smell of hamburgers in my nostrils and cracked red Coca-Cola wood under my smiling jeans. Leave the bike by the photo ID machine, take a walk along verdant paths with Kenny Barron, drink in the sun to my tired face and smile. Again, the days of beat luscious living have returned, thank you, June.
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Crazy, lazy, Waseda’s mascot is Ohkuma and he’s all a-round for-you-to-see!
He’s on your shirt, he’s on your skirt, he’s full of ac-a-de-mic glee!
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Tired boy, wandering boy, where have you been today? Did you dream of Enoshima? Were you thinking of walking by Ichigaya and the sotobori? It’s a crime, a shame, the Swallows are down at Koshien. If not we’d be at Jingu within the hour, fueled by clamoring cheers and frothy beers, singing the old songs, in the old ways, rallying for a homerun. Yes, today we must get tea bags. Yes, we must go lie in the park. Oh yes, some wine! Some wine and some cheese and a whole lot of love for the sky and the grass– it’s just the homily for me!
Are these days made, are they born in heaven? Or have I found a swatch of fabric made all the softer by my heart? Hello today, you are one of many, but I love you so because I am in you, and rolling amongst the daisies of your bounty.
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This JTB travel guide to northern Kyushuu is handsomely wrapped in brown paper and cost me all of twenty yen.
Good day, Bossa Nova, you know what life is about it. It isn’t those numbers and letters on a piece of plastic that you cannot touch, I’ll tell you that. Nothing I create will ever hold a candle to the real thing, but I’ll keep reflecting and recording anyway. Until you are here feeling the sting of mosquitoes and the nap of my beta beta skin, dream on, dream softly; and one day we’ll drink a day like this together.
