'Tomo' Means 'Virtue,' Or it can be 'Companion.' My Tomo-san was a virtuous companion.... Because of her, I found out What prejudice is: Interference and chagrin, Frustration and bitterness,... Innocent friendship dropped. **************************************** The above picture is not a literal recreation of the incident mentioned in the poem, rather, it is an attempt at rendering the emotional impact of the moment. It was 1959 Japan, and I was 21. I had met Tomo through the offices of a mutual Japanese male friend. Tomo was twenty-three. She and another female friend wanted to practice their English speaking skills and I wanted to see places in the northern Kyushu area and attend interesting local happenings. I remember that the three of us went to a modern play about the Japanese occupation of Manchuria. There was nothing sexual in our relationship. However, about three months into our relationship, the parents of Tomo and her friend grew concerned, when they learned of our friendship. The girls were of marriageable age and they feared association with an American would ruin their daughters' reputations. Then, the parents still mostly arranged marriages for their children. (I understand that is far less the case these days.) Tomo met with me and explained. I was stunned and she was very uncomfortable. Our meeting was brief. I never saw Tomo or her friend again. I don't blame their parents. If I had been them, I would probably have had similar concerns. They never met me. To this day, it saddens me. The face is a fair likeness of how I looked at 21; although, my body was shorter and a bit more stocky looking. Tomo was not as pretty as Miki, yet was still an attractive woman. She was more trim than Miki, but not skinny. Her personality was beautiful and what I most valued about her. If I was striving for reality, I would have added a couple of shopkeepers and some more shoppers out in the street. I felt, though, that to do so would obscure the emotional impact of the moment, so I deliberately left them out. Besides, at the time, there was no awareness of anyone else but her and me. **************************************** Credits: Poser6, Bryce5.5, and PaintShopPro5. Me and Driver: Both DAZ's Michael3 with both characters created by me using Michael's standard body and head morphs. Driver's texture was "Brock" by Virginia. My skin textures by Jeppe. Truck: A Net freebie that is wonderfully made. Sorry, I could not locate who made it. My documentation on it has disappeared. Crates in back are also Net freebies. Buildings: All modeled and textured by Honey. Paving Stones: All Bryce terrains (21 to be exact)from a texture by Danie and Marforno. All clothing: From Poser World. Most have been retextured by me. Thanks for dropping by and taking a look. Comments are always appreciated. Regards, Jeremy