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.
A blessed day when we first met,
Two souls as one—no divide set.
Like sons of one dear mother’s care,
A bond so pure, beyond compare.
Two birds once freed from caged despair,
We soared through endless, open air.
Each moment held, each laughter true,
My world felt whole because of you.
Why did you leave so soon, my brother?
Why fade away, not stay a little longer?
I reach for you, but feel no trace,
Just silent echoes in your place.
Alone I walk this world so wide,
With only memories by my side.
Like a bird with broken wings,
I’ve lost the song my spirit sings.
I miss you more than words can say,
You’re far beyond my reach today.
But wait for me, don’t drift too far,
We’ll meet again where angels are.
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."
Budgie Budgie what can I say about a man named Budgie
when it comes to writing poetry, he's as tender as can be
but when it comes to rocking your world with his guitar,
well watch out FANS, for he's the best musician by far;
Budgie Budgie what can I say, "its your Birthday today
and its only right to make a wish on this very special day
White wolves will howl at the moon tonight so celebrate,
have a piece of cake, enjoy every morsel on your plate
Budgie Budgie King of Poetry you "poet of all times"
lets sit back and watch him shimmer, and shine
Happy Birthday dear friend, best tie is a friendship tie
that is why I knotted this poem with love, & Mai Tai .
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY FRIEND
MAKE IT COUNT...
February 10, 2021
This is putting the spirit rum to good use.
Just mix it with a little pineapple juice.
Put it in a shaker with some cracked ice,
Shake it up, strain it into a glass, and it's nice.
For a extra touch, use a little garnish:
Add a pineapple spear and a cherry if you wish.
This is a great drink for either a gal or guy.
What we have here is called a Mai-Tai.
Too many Mai Tais, zany Matilda, drank!
Whoops, she hit the sea-wall and arrested for
being tanked!
A big flirt was she, and the Officer fell.
Now a huge wedding is planned, do tell!
12/2/2020
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
Mai Tai Madness
~Oh, my friend, Gloria!~
Funny~till drinks made her totally unstable.
We nearly got killed in her car!
When on the Golden Gate Bridge,
she screamed" I left my sweater
back at the bar."
Making a U-turn in the middle of
the Golden Gate Bridge at rush hour, OMG,no less!
Cuss words and the "bird" were
so shocking, I must confess.
I made the sign of the cross, said
my final prayers, with closed eyes.
My stomach filled with a flurry
of butterflies.
So grateful was I to get home in
one piece,
I literally cried and begged God
to give Gloria, sober peace.
June 22, 2019
3:30 pm PST
Mt Tai
How do I describe lofty Mt. Tai’s grandeurs?
Straddling Qi and Lu states, its green lingers.
The most gorgeous landscape the Nature has drawn,
The dark and light sides convert into dusk and dawn.
Floating clouds cleanse the mortal mind and soul;
Birds fly home in groups along the mount on a scroll.
I shall climb to the top and therefrom a bird-view will
Render all the other mountains around into small hill.
(tran.)
Alice is only 17 so put her studies on hold,
Of psychology, English literature and art,
To train for the Rio Paras, hard as she could,
In New Milton, in Collegiate’s school pool.
Born with a club foot, she’s had 14 operations,
Which fused her feet and ankles, 90 degrees,
Because she also has deformed lower legs -
So she was classed as a para-swimmer 2010.
In 2014 Alice competed in the Euro Champs,
In Eindhoven which is in the Netherlands,
Where she won a gold 50m freestyle relay,
A silver in the 100m back, a bronze freestyle.
Then the next year Alice went to the Worlds,
IPC, in Glasgow where she won four medals:
A gold 4x100 medley relay, bronze 100m back,
Bronze fly, and a bronze 4x100m free relay.
So in Rio she achieved much, a great success,
Because she won 4x100 medley relay gold,
Also a bronze for the S10 100m backstroke.
She was born on the 31st January in 1999.
Rose collector bird
shades of pink blossom bulbuls
Lovely crimson set
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYtZO94K_Lk)
When I did the
hug-a-tree today,
I could feel my
breathing in my fingers
as the air
in my body moved my blood.
That Norwegian professor,
when I was 25,
told me that would happen.
One body, he told me,
like a fluid-filled bag,
like a decorative icing
squeezer.
Several times today
I could feel time stop
and I could feel the
gap between my fingers
tremble.
Today I practiced
tai-chi in front of a mirror
with a dozen beginners my age.
I didn't apologize
as I thought I might.
Strange
to pick out the
reflexively familiar.
Icon I,
seen from the outside.
Some of us
would have commanded
with angry eyes
if rumples were smoothed
but now we listen.
They lined up like this
in many old photographs of
unsymmetric faces
unceremonious bodies,
dignities clinginging to fact.
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.