I went to visit Tao tonight in Houghton Bay in Wellington and it made sense. His station wagon is light brown and the sea sits right up close but way down below his window. The rain obscured the details making seaweed look like surfers but the relentless semicircle sets were clear. In his lounge there was a large rectangular window that framed this view like a very good painting and on the sill there was bone and shell. We had tea we had had curry.

Below this room was a grassy square big enough to raise a goat and support some superfluous structures. It had not rained in a week so the grass was straw. At this level underneath the house was Tao’s studio which is long but tall with large planks as floor boards with a patch of weeds at the far end near his tools. All the objects were indistinguishable at first but soon you could see his work panning out.

As I walked up the trail the square house took shape and the red drips from rusty nails seemed more important than the pale yellow with green trim. He has an office. When he drove me to the airport we put on long rain coats and walked in the direction of the waves. It was amazing.

Now I am home.