Tokio Whip (48 page)

–
No, Tokio only.

–
We met in August, remember?

–
And you left in August.

–
You didn't have a plane ticket, remember?

–
Negligent of me.

–
Right.

–
I know – “August, Tokyo” – like a date, a time and place.

–
It opens with cicadas …

–
No, that's the happy sound.

–
Cicadas are happy?

–
I'm not sure. But all that energy –

–
Beating their wings to death?

–
Ok, ok, but they are August. And yes, energy.

–
Ok. So what then, at the beginning?

–
Crows. “Caw-caw!” It starts out somber –

–
– and ends with the cicadas, wistful –

–
– filled with promise. The heat burns into you, everything comes out, you just spill, drip –

–
– this song's getting a bit too graphic.

–
No, you know what I mean.

–
I know – I'm joking – I think.

–
You know: the Sun! Even in the city, there's only the Sun! You have to confront something elemental. It seems to attack, but then you realize it's actually life-giving, invigorating. You're down to essentials – and you love it. Memory, the body – the heat is on you.

–
It's getting on me. Come here a minute.

[They kiss.]

–
Ok, so we have a sad beginning with crows, and at the end a sort of happy ending with cicadas – but are crows seasonal? And once the cicadas fade do we head into cold and darkness?

–
No, no, we head into you and me: the heat, both of them, then the cool of Autumn; followed by Winter in Tokio – another great song we ought to write – you were the first to tell me how beautiful Winter is here

–
Our “Winter's Tale” – reborn.

–
Yes. We'll write that song too. “A Winter's Tokio Tale.” But first, “August.”

–
Well, we have the sound effects for the beginning and end. What about the middle?

–
Didn't Buster say that the middle always took care of itself?

–
So, we're the middle?

–
We're the lyrics. You're my middle.

–
And you're my –

–
Let me get some paper – where's the next temple?

–
?

–
Let's go. We can write the lyrics as we go along.

–
Tempura too?

–
All of it. Looks like we've got work to do.

–
This sounds like fun!

–
Rhymes with –