text;

[goban]

What do you miss most about home?

[ that's it; that's the post. i'm sure it has nothing to do with the coincidental timing of japan leaving. ]

Comments

un: ciao

[ciao]

i certainly don't miss the politics and the paperwork
but what i do miss is the feeling of home
every part of that country has a special memory for me
and the people
i adore and miss my people even though i've never been allowed to get too close to them
seeing them happy and creating their own memories was always a pleasure for me
watching tourists come and view nonno's old buildings was also wonderful too
seeing them light up with excitement from being able to see it for themselves

i'm very fortunate to have companions here with me
but at the same time i don't like being separated from everyone
i treasure my friends and only wish we could always be together

[goban]

It must be hard, especially for you, to be away from all of it. Is it lonely, without those connections?

[ciao]

it can get to be like that at times
especially during the moments when i find myself with nothing else to do
so i retreat into a studio space and paint
i try to capture the essence and feeling of the most important places
although sometimes my mind wanders and i'm not sure what is coming through
i'll be painting the views of the northern countryside
but suddenly i'm in vienna again

[goban]

Do you think he's happier at home?

[ japan, obviously. ]

[ciao]

[ it only takes him a moment to make the connection, remembering full well who this was and how fond he seemed of japan ]

i feel like he's always pretty happy at home
but also he's the type that cares about the connections he makes
so he's probably missing the people he's gotten to know while here too
he's so shy that when he gets close to someone he really puts a lot of himself out there

[goban]

Perhaps. But our lives are nothing compared to his, in length. I imagine he's gotten used to saying goodbye.

[ciao]

you would think that because we live so long that we'd be better at that
but i can assure you
in the two-thousand years i've been around the hardest thing for me is to say goodbye
hundreds of years could pass and i'm still missing the ones i've grown close to and lost as if it just happened

we do our best to move on and act like it's okay
but it's never okay when we feel a connection

[goban]

A connection...

[ yeah, it'd be pretty hard to deny that he and japan had one of those. ]

Maybe the best we can hope for, then, is that he won't remember any of this.

[ciao]

that's an endearing sentiment
but i wish there were something that could be done for you as well
all i could offer is company, food and drink

[goban]

I'm afraid I am not particularly pleasant company. I'm confined to bodies of water for the sanguis moon.

[ciao]

are you concerned because you're confined in water?
or is there another reason?

[goban]

Well that too, I suppose. And also because I am not in a pleasant mood.

[ he's sad but he couldn't possibly admit that!! ]

[ciao]

you don't have to worry about being in a pleasant mood or not
and the water doesn't bother me honestly, i love the water
even with the tail