morning air slows down,
a squirrel shapes soft circles~
tiny paws drifting;
stillness gathers in his chest,
tranquility unfolding
There once was a tiny squirrel named Tim
who practiced Tai Chi with great Zen.
He gathered a troupe~
a pint-sized nutty group~
three fluff-tailed apprentices and then…
They donned little leaf-green attire,
stitched snug with twig-threaded fire;
each jacketlet swayed
as their movements displayed
a woodland-born martial desire.
With belts made of braided vine-twine,
they cinched their small uniforms fine;
each buckle was crowned
with an acorn they’d found~
a medallion of mastery’s sign.
They circled in synchronized flow,
soft paws in a forest bungalow;
their medals clicked light
as they moved through the rite~
a jade-tinted tai-chi tableau.
I wasn't long in Hong Kong,
before I saw my first tai chi,
and it gave me the strangest notion,
the exercisers, advancing all in a row,
were line dancing in slow motion.
They put their left hand in,
right hand out,
in, out, in, out,
waved them all about
and, set to soothing, soulful music,
the male practitioners suggestively sang,
"If you show me your yin,
I'll show you my yang."
Water gives -
Troubled waters to wade,
Holy Rivers to bathe,
Break of waters, for birth and re-birth,
Font for sprinkles and signs made,
Medium and milieu for Chi,
Steep of leaves for tea,
Drinks to receive,
Washes to revive, relieve,
Rains to come,
Wells to fill,
Thirst to quench,
From wellsprings of water,
Forever distilled, wet
With the Spiritual
Everlasting!
2025.03.06
Dear God,
I humbly kneeled in front of you.
Please blessed and protected me.
I have lived many years,
Why did I develope this feelings?
To someone who had heart of coals.
I wished I could resolve and remove,
All the emotional pain,
And stick to my single life's plan.
Tomorrow will be another day again,
From sun rises to sun sets.
All I want is to remember how to forget,
That would be the best solution.
Time will pass and heal all wounds.
But how soon, indeed how soon.
There was a saying in one of my language,
To an old husband, young wife was liked heaven.
To an old wife, young husband meant payments.
Amen.
Troi cao co thau,
Cuoi xin nguoi ban phuoc cho doi con.
Qua bao tuoi doi.
Moi gap duoc nguoi minh men yeu.
Thuong nho yeu chieu.
Nho nhung doan truong xot da,
Uoc gi co the to ra,
Dem long nho thuong nguoi dan nuoc la,
Roi thoi gian cung se troi qua
Moi tinh lan dan suot cuot doi ta.
Trot yeu nguoi khong yeu minh
Chi la gay dan cuoc tinh gian do.
Yeu chi cho kho doi ta.
Co le minh pham kiep dao hoa.
Co ngay no se troi qua
De duoc song mot minh thoi tha.
Chong gia vo tre la tien
Chong tre vo gia la tien bo ra
I heard footsteps approaching, and two knocks on my door.
I thought it was Oluchi, an angel recreated in human form.
I opened with curiosity to behold my priceless gem.
Stretching my hands to her waist, I felt the thick darkness in my palms.
“Who's there?”
A cool breeze greeted me, leaving the dazzling moon to gaze at me.
Is it my grandmother's mmuo?
My Chi whispered, “it is Ogbunabali”.
My heart danced to the beating of ogidi.
My thoughts flew faster than an air plane.
Maybe he saw when I came out of Oluchi’s hut.
No! When I hugged Chukwudi’s wife.
Ogbunabali, prince of the night, carrier of death.
Please spare my life; a kingsman, my wife and my farmland are all I have.
Then came another piercing knock, when I opened,
I saw a figure, like an Iroko tree,
his roundish head with a torch on it,
a goat skin bag and a gun hanged across his shoulder.
“Ebuka, are you not coming for a hunt tonight?”
Ah!! My thoughts and my game.
C H I is the placeholder of your W I L L embarked
REALIZED unto R E S O L V E
RESOLVE to ignite DESIRE's S P A R K
MEDITATION on the P A S S I O N
Solves :
DEDICATION of the F A S H I O N
Z O N E of ESTROGEN, TESTOSTERONE, ADRENAL-
ENDORPHIN-PINEAL-P R O D U C T I O N
The P I N E A L-control of the G L A N D S
in poetic ORGAN
J O Y of B E L I E F
As O N E at H A N D
“Do you want a violet?”
I turn to glance at her,
Hazel-green eyes aglow,
Yellow-edged with sunflower petals.
I cannot talk. I smile.
I stare at her for a while.
She has violets in her hair,
Sprinkles of purple everywhere,
Intertwined with every strand.
And suddenly, she grabs my hand,
The other slips by me, grazes my cheek,
Atop my head rests a crown of violets.
I again find myself unable to speak,
Faced with a smile, a wrinkled nose,
And a gentle whisper - “beautiful.”
Words fail me,
But my cheeks do not.
A startling red flush, heat pricking across
A mottled surface of alabaster.
“Are you okay?” “Fine.”
A word. A croak. Is that all?
The smile grows, obscuring her face.
Suddenly, I find my focus is on the grass,
Little waves of green, and white heathers,
Lapping against the shores of her skin.
The first source of Qi is inherited from your parents at conception. It is known as the “innate vital substance” and is stored in the kidneys. The second source is derived from essential substances in nature such as the air we breathe, food and water.
X X X X
X X X X
X X X X
X X X
X X X
X X X
X X X
Greek word for Christ, a monogram (also called a “christogram”)
I'm going with the chi inside of me. I'm humming to the sound of the gong. I'm saying good bye to anxiety and emotions that don't belong..Let the tributaries flow and set me free. They've been there all along. I'm listening to my blood as it speaks to me, it's writing a brand new song.
Celestial musings that you
said to me - "Chi Chi’s"
stick doughnuts fried in sugar
love their specialties,
Terrestrial mirth
plain, cream cheese or chocolate,
best churros on earth.
April 19, 2020
My poem is a seguidilla which is Spanish but not like a quesadilla.
Silent One's contest honoring Vijay Pandit
"Celestial musings that you said to me" - From Vijay Pandit's poem, A Man from Distant Lands..
Chi-ly will the wily wonder grow
From beyond the boundary
Elements remain powered by an energy
No verse conversed to be constrained
Show him wonders soon revealed
To double down on his display
He steals a word from all beyond
To cast another masterpiece today
The body moves and drives the words away
Stillness helps the lowly scribe to hear
Precision of a finer voice, a better choice
Side by side, a deeper verse is near
Tapped a mystery, he weeps to loose
No penman can desire a fate like him
To fall each day to one who loves recluse
Drops like dew, another verse of whim
Am considerating signing up
For a beginners class in Tai Chi but
Not sure it's for me
My old bones agree
The will is here but the bod needs a nudge
The mad woman of Chi knew it all.
Her head made her exceedingly tall.
Her schemata was wide.
Held way down deep inside.
In an arrogant brain that was closed and small.
Sub Categories
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.