Do not drink the Daphne Water I tell you
You ignore my warning
Be careful Ogier!
The strong bearded man looked up at me
You will find no tyranny hiding on this beach
He replied taking a second sip
I tell you this story as it happened there in the shadow of Reculver Towers
Maki and Basho were sitting in a Suchi Bar in the centre of Tokyo
I will accompany you on your journey and be your companion
I will keep my journal as you will keep yours
You will write Haiku
I cannot write Haiku
I am not worthy to write Haiku
I do not see things as you do
I will teach you to see as I do before I die
Maki and Basho left the Suchi Bar and began their journey to Nikko
Maki was aware that Ogier was following her
She saw him on street corners
And on the railway platform
When they arrived in Nikko Maki was astounded by its beauty but the poet stayed silent
She looked up at the mountains
Can we go to the National Park?
Of course but I feel danger lurks in the beauty
Later that day both Maki and Basho found themselves near the Kegon Falls
They were on their way to Lake Chuzenji where Maki hoped to swim
As they neared the waterfall Ogier jumped out from behind a tree
Has she ever displayed herself to you poet?
The old man shook his head
Is that why she is taking you to the lake so she can swim and show you her cunt?
I suggested the journey young man
Have you seen her scars yet?
I suppose you have not seen her scars
Fuck Off Ogier leave him alone!
She self-harms you know and has scars on both her arms and thighs
Why do you think she dresses so modestly like a tight virgin?
She is no virgin
She fucks whosoever she wants
She used my cut-throat razor you know and would have lacerated her cunt if I had not stopped her
Ogier do not hurt him as he is unwell
He tells me that he has doubts that he will survive the journey
Have you seen her ridiculously coloured cunt?
What colour is your cunt now Maki?
Blue, green, yellow do you let your friends lick your cunt as you used to?
Was it Sangallo’s favourite colour or was it Solange?
I have told you to fuck off once Ogier and I will not tell you again
You do it to punish yourself you know
Do you remember when I said that red was my favourite colour and you dyed your pubic hairs red and sent me a sample in an envelope half way around the world
You can imagine my embarrassment when I opened the envelope in front of my friends and my girlfriend’s coloured pubic hair fell to the floor
You have no friends Ogier and you would not give a fuck if you did
You punish yourself by having a ridiculous cunt
When people fuck you they fuck a clown
Has she tried to fuck you old man has she crawled into your bed at night and tried to harden your dying cock?
One more fuck before oblivion
Maki picked up a stone and threw it with venom at Ogier’s chest
Her aim was poor and it hit the strong man on the lip and caused blood to drip from his jaw
He looked stunned for a moment
One day I will kill you Ogier I swear I will
That is if you do not kill yourself first whore
Ogier spat blood at Maki and walked away vanishing into the trees without a murmur
I am sorry for that Ogier haunts me
He is a troubled young man
Let us go to the lake he will not trouble us further today
Your lip is cut
It is not my blood
The lake will sooth you
As they sat on the shores Lake Chuzenji Maki turned to the poet who was resting with his eyes closed against the trunk of a tree
Ogier was right I did self-harm that is why I dress modestly but it is over now
The old man smiled
I know of your secrets many Japanese women self-harm which is dreadful and I hope this is why you will find our time together rewarding
My friends pulled me through it without them I feel that I would have folded
Tell me of Reculver which sounds an interesting place
Reculver is a small small place not far from Canterbury in the county of Kent in Southern England
Have you ever visited England?
I have travelled well in Japan but have never left the shores of this country
I was born in Birchington which is not so many miles away and had a happy childhood but was always haunted by the towers which I could see from my home town
I started to write stories about the ruined church and about all manner of ghosts I thought I could see
And that was where I met Ogier
Tell me about your true friends
I had no true friends only the ghosts of Reculver many years distant
Was Ogier ever your friend?
Never he was a brute of a seaman who I met at Reculver
In one of your stories?
In one of my stories
So you invented him to punish yourself?
I invented him and he abuses me when I am angry
Why were you angry here in such a beautiful place?
I was angry at God for showing me such beauty
I was angry at my self-mutilation
I was even angry at you as I know that you will die soon and that you would not reveal all your thoughts to me
I was angry once
I cannot imagine you angry
I was the youngest son of a samurai in the service of a lord in a castle
His name was of no consequence but I remember it being near Kyoto
Before my tenth birthday I became the study-companion of the nobleman’s son who was a delicate boy two years older than me
We both loved poetry and studied Kigin and Teitoku amongst other great poets
We were devoted to each other
But there was a jealousy on my part for my friend had married at a young age to the most beautiful girl that I had ever seen
I kept my jealousy in check until one day by complete accident I saw her bathing in a lake like this
She was even more beautiful than the exquisite waters and the cherry trees that ran in rows on the nearby shore
I had a feeling that she had seen me that day but she said nothing either to me or my friend
Then tragedy struck my friend whose health had always been delicate suddenly died at a very young age
I was given the task of travelling to Mount Koya with a lock of my dead friend’s hair and there enshrine it
That was my first pilgrimage as this is my last
I did not return as throughout my journey when I should have been grieving for my friend I was thinking of his widow’s beauty that I had witnessed in full on fateful day
Instead I went to Kyoto where I asked Kingin to take me in and aid me with my studies which he generously did
But I was angry as I wanted to hold my friend’s widow in my arms and caress her tiny breasts
When I walked in the cherry orchards I did not see no beauty only loss
When I swam in the lake I did not feel peace only tempest
Until one day when another widow who was walking by the lakeshore told me that although her husband was dead she saw him every night
And because she was not alone she remained tremendously happy
I asked her to be my companion but she declined although we became lovers for some months
It ended sooner that I wuld have liked as the widow could not let go of her dead husband and I returned to Edo a little wiser
Edo?
Tokyo
Later that year I studied Zen with the priest Butcho
Which revealed a lot to me
I understand your anger
I wish I did as Ogier visits me often
Last year when in Swalecliffe which is not far distant from Reculver I met Ogier once more
I had been sunbathing when I noticed a tramp leering at me with his hand on his cock
I was angry that he could see my scars so I confronted him saying that if he wanted to look at my cunt then he would have to share his alcohol with me
The man was no fool and asked to see my cunt before sharing his drink
I removed my shorts and he laughed at my pubic hair which I had dyed green
I snatched his bottle and took a swig from it
It tasted stale and I smell his odour on it
I threw the bottle into the road breaking it
The tramp grabbed me by the throat and put his hand between my legs
It was then that a group of tough men rounded up by Ogier came into view and saw what was happening
They viciously attacked the tramp and beat him to a pulp
I just stood there half naked enjoying the spectacle
I was enjoying the violence
And then it was over
Ogier and the men vanished
I walked across to the tramp and pissed on to his bloodied face swearing vengeance
It was then I noticed a police car in the distance so I ran away like a wounded animal
I hid in an abandoned shack and watched as the authorities cleared up the mess
It was as I watched that I began masturbating
I was enjoying his pain which had been caused solely by me
It was then that I knew that I needed help once more
And you came to me asking me to be your companion
You will not travel with me for my whole journey as I do not want you to see me die
Death is a private thing and I will not impose this on you
I have seen many deaths during my time on the road from the tiniest creature lying mortally wounded in the road to the loss of dear friends from cruel diseases
I will die in Osaka I know that but you will have left me before that
In your later years you will visit my grave near Lake Biwa with your children
You will not grieve for me
Because you will still see me
Tomorrow we will start on the road again but before that there is something that you must do quite alone
What is that?
When the night is at its darkest you should bathe in Lake Chuzenji this will rid you of your scars and you will find that when you wake tomorrow he body will be unblemished
But what of Ogier?
I will look after Ogier I have him here in the grip of my fist
He will not trouble you
That night Maki swam in the lake and returned to the watchman’s lodge where Basho was sleeping and when she woke next morning all her scars had gone
Basho was outside as Maki walked naked towards him
My scars have gone as you said they would
You remind me of my young widow but take haste and dress as the road is long
Maki prepared herself for the journey and when she left the hut again she noticed that Basho was carving words into the frame of the door
Kenkon Muju; doko ninin
What is the meaning of that poet as my Japanese is not yet as proficient or as good as yours?
I will tell you on the day that we part
For the next week the companions travelled towards Fukushima and beyond towards Sendai where they visited the house of a thousand generations
Each day Basho taught Maki more of his philosophy and poetry but his companion still did not attempt to write haiku
They rested on the Kinkasan Island as Basho had become feeble and lodged at the Kinkasan Lighthouse whilst the poet recovered
They spent nearly a month here and Maki often looked out at the Pacific Ocean and wondered of its vastness
She thought she saw Ogier a drowning seaman in the waves
But he did not abuse her and vanished beneath the surface
As Basho’s health improved he called her to his room
As you are aware this is my final journey and although my heath has improved it will not last
You will last for year’s poet
Maybe for a year or a little longer
Please would take the map from my locker
Maki spread the map out on the floor in front of the poet’s bed
She had marked their route from Tokyo each day
When we leave the lighthouse we will proceed to Hiraizumi and onwards to Sakata
During this time I will share the secrets of the cherry trees with you
After our time in Sakata we will follow the sea route southwards and visit both Niigata and the Ichburri Barrier where I have friends.
We will part at Nago Beach and you will find residence on the Noto Peninsula where I will ask you stay until you hear of my death
Then please travel away from this country to your beautiful country and have children and in twenty years visit me again
You will write haiku
A week later they left the lighthouse and continued on their journey
After their arrival in Hiraizumi Basho fell ill again
During this time Maki visited the many fabric stores in Hiraizumi and purchased materials of many colours
She made a thousand shirts
She vowed to wear a shirt of a different colour each day
This pleased the poet who referred to her as the rainbow girl who when the time was right would write haiku in a far off country
Within two weeks the poet was well enough to travel and when they were near the Three Mountains of Dewa the poet asked her of cherry blossom
What do you see?
A torii gate half hidden in the mists here on Mount Haguro
Can you see the cherry blossom?
There is no cherry blossom
I can see one million cherry trees all in blossom
I can see many trees but they are not cherry trees
Close your eyes what do you see?
I see only the darkness of my blindness
Wait
I still see nothing
Open your eyes
Maki opened her eyes and in front of her were a million cherry trees all in blossom
She ran forwards away from the poet as the petals swirled around her detached in the mountain breeze
Very soon she could not see Basho and felt lost
She wandered in many directions but found no path
It was as she had given up hope that she saw a man hanging from a cherry tree
He was not yet dead
She lowered him to the ground
It was Ogier
You thought you would never see me again
I did
I am here as you still doubt your poet
You are dying as he is
I am destroying myself
Why?
I am not needed
Ogier grabbed Maki’s shirt and ripped it open exposing her breasts
I see the scars are gone
They have been gone for a while
The poet says that my body is like that of the widow he saw bathing many years ago
You have not changed
I have changed
You are still a whore
Maki slapped Ogier’s face
Fuck you Ogier even when you are dying you cannot let go
Ogier closed his eyes and lay on the bed of fallen cherry blossom
You created me I did not want to exist
Then you are forgiven
Maki lifted the dying mans head and pressed it on to her exposed breasts
Drink enemy for you journey will be a long one
The dying man suckled for a minute and then died
Maki let her tears drop into Ogier’s lifeless eyes and held him until he faded from her grip
Soon she found the path to where the poet was waiting for her
You met Ogier
I met Ogier
Is he dead?
Ogier is dead
Then you have crossed the bridge covered in cherry blossom
Neither the poet nor Maki said anything else until they arrived in Sakata
It was a busy commercial town and thy did not linger there for very long
From Sakata they travelled near to the sea until they reached Niigata
I have always called this the lucky city
Why?
Because it might have had hell imposed on it
Like Hiroshima and Nagasaki you mean
It was one of the four cities chosen the other being Kokura
It was only the distance and poor weather that saved this city I am told
It was a bleak time
A time of madmen
This happened before I was born
I remember it well
Basho and Maki wandered around the city
Maki was wearing a shirt made from golden thread and was aware of many admiring glances
See many find you beautiful
I am European and they consider my difference
They admire your beauty
I have no beauty
Your scars are gone
Ogier is dead and you are alive
You will find a mate on your far off shores
The poet and his companion left the city after a few hours and headed south towards the Ichburri Barrier which was many days away
On a number of occasions they stopped at a beach where the poet made paper boats with a single character added to each mast
Maki would swim a mile out to sea and release the boats
She did this until she was exhausted and would lie next to the poet on the sand
One of those small paper boats might make it to your Reculver and you would find it exhausted on the beach as you are now
They will not last more than a mile
Do not give up hope as I marked one with your name unbeknown to you and I would like to think that it is sailing towards England at this very moment
When I return I will seek it out
I will walk from Birchington to Whitstable looking out for the paper boat that bears my name
You country is as strange to me as I believe mine is to you
I am learning more about your country
As I am yours
Later that month the companions arrived at the Ichburri Barrier where Basho was greeted by friends
It was here that Maki found a tattooist
She asked that a white cat be tattooed onto her left shoulder
When completed she showed it to Basho
I knew your craved decoration
Every time I look at my reflection I want to remember you
A white cat
From our initial meeting you have always reminded me of a white cat
I have never been called a white cat before
Then that should be my gift to you
On her arrival at at Nago Beach Maki she found it to be busier than she had expected
There were many people
She thought it to be a strange place to leave Basho but this was his choice
I met you in Tokyo and will leave you here
You have learnt much
As I have requested please stay on the Noto Peninsula until you hear news of me
I will leave you many haiku in that brown leather bag but do not open it until you are back in your own country
I will leave whilst you sleep as I do not want to say farewell
Do not rise from your bed if you hear sounds
Was I your widow?
You were my companion and I think you have understood much
You were my widow for there were times on this journey when I thought of that day when I first understood beauty and found what a cruel mistress she could be
You should have stayed and comforted your friends widow
I was young and did not understand what I know now
If I had known what I know now I would have not travelled around Japan and would not have written the many poems that you now have
It was a choice that I made
I will never know if it was correct although I feel it was
Maki gave the poet her remaining shirts urging the old man to wear a different one each day
That night as she lay in her bed she heard the poet leave
She did not rise but touched the white cat tattooed on her shoulder
The next day she found a residence not far from the sea on the Noto Peninsula
Like Nago Beach the area was a great deal busier than she expected
But she liked the buzz and soon felt at home
She missed the poet but felt that he was with her
A year passed during which time she attempted to write Haiku but she destroyed her efforts
She did nothing in particular and was regarded locally as a European who was enjoying an extended vacation in Japan
One morning as she returned from a swim a neighbour met her not far from her house
He handed he a note
The poet is dead
She had been expecting this news and stayed on the Peninsula for another month before returning to England
It was as she was leaving that she found a note secreted in unused shirt which the poet had pretended to take
It read
You asked me what I meant when I carved the words Kenkon Muju; doko ninin into the door frame of the watchman’s hut not far from the shores of Lake Chuzenji
I think you know already as I asked the tattooist to add the words next to that of the white cat
Rub a fresh lemon onto the feline and the words will appear
Homeless I wander in company with God
Maki smiled and looked at the cat each day
The words would not appear unless she rubbed a fresh lemon on them
It was the poet’s last joke
Five years later Maki was walking to Reculver with her husband and two children when she saw a battered white paper boat near to the towers
With difficulty she retrieved it
It was the paper boat with her name on it that had sailed so many thousands of miles towards the memorable towers
That evening she wrote her first Haiku and added it to the poets haiku in the brown leather bag
Such is the night that
Pilgrims cannot be silent
On the cherry roads