"Finally we came to a place that I knew must be the site of my execution. Indeed, the soldiers stopped and began to mill around in excitement. Shijo Kingo, in tears, said, "These are your last moments." I replied, "How thoughtless you are! You should be delighted at this great fortune. Don't you remember your promise?" I had no sooner said this when a brilliant orb as bright as the moon burst forth from the direction of Enoshima, shooting across the sky from southeast to northwest. It was shortly before dawn and still too dark to see
anyone's face, but the radiant object clearly illuminated everyone like bright moonlight. The executioner fell on his face, his eyes blinded. The soldiers were terrified and panic-stricken. Some ran off into the distance, some jumped from their horses and knelt on the ground, and others crouched down in their saddles. I called out, "Here, why do you shrink from this miserable prisoner? Come nearer! Come closer!" But no one would approach. "What if the dawn should break? You must hasten to execute me, for you will find it unbearable to do so after sunrise." I urged them on, but they made no response."

At the Beach

Watching the waves crash to the shore,

Standing in the sand in my robe,

timeless and full of time,

Couples walk along the edge of the tide,

hand in hand,

in awe at this sacred place,

and the soon to be rising sun.

This place where an offering was made,

that defies all conceptions of time and space,

I shout to the sky,

"These are your last moments,"

and the waves answer back;

"How foolish you are!"

�

Chris Holte