My studio is located on the fourth floor of the industrial building in Bushwick. Since there is no high-rise building between here to Manhattan, I can enjoy a panoramic view of the city from here. This is the view from the window in my studio.

 

 

If I were a mouse, those high rise buildings in the city would be huge piles of blocks of cheese.

 

 

 

On the other hand, I took this picture below from the Empire State Building while my mother visited me from Japan last year. As you can see, the top of the building commands a full view of Brooklyn.

 

 

Mice in Manhattan are already and literally fed up with eating cheese but they are still looking for something fulfills their desire. It is something they can’t exchange with cheese. I think what they want is “tail”.

I believe that tail is an independent, individual and little bit dangerous creature which is a parasite on other animals and possibly occupies the hosts’ brain. When the tail moves from side to side, the host becomes happy. When it hides into the crotch, the host becomes quiet. As a mouse in Brooklyn,  I have been living with tail for more than 30 years, but to be honest, I don’t know his personality very well yet. One thing for sure that he is not interested in cheese.

 

 

I guess most of the mice in the city have gotten rid of their tails in order not to be bothered by those strange creatures and to adopt their busy surroundings. But sometimes they find themselves to be missing their tail, which  they used to have, which I still have. Sometimes I cut the tip of my tail and exchange it for cheese.