I read you like a person reads
his blender manual.
It’s a necessity–legally obligatory.
But meaningless because if a word falls
in a blender manual, does anyone read it?
No one cares until someone loses a thumb.
Words are nudged and danced
into perfect clarity in seven languages.
But it’s 100 pages for a three button machine.
“Frappe” must have a long and convoluted definition.
[Poem #2: National Poetry Month]
I stress that eustress
is the best stress.
From time to time,
I must confess
I’ve made a mess
doing more
succeeding less.
In a mad dash to impress,
badgered by self-duress,
taking matters to excess,
brewing up toxic distress.
Assess,
progress,
but don’t obsess.
[Poem 1: National Poetry Month]
Taken in March of 2015 at Savandurga
Dopamine Model; Source: Wikipedia
I’m grateful for the ability to be grateful.
For gratefulness causes dopamine and serotonin levels to rise.
I’m grateful for the fine people in my life.
For delightful company causes oxytocin and vasopressin spikes.
I’m grateful for my health.
[Or am I healthy because I’m grateful?]
For gratitude correlates to superior health across several indicators.*
I’m grateful for my food,
which is well-balanced to provide the brain glucose,
while offering all the
vitamins, minerals, and amino acids
my neurochemistry needs.**
*Sansone, R.A. and Sansone, L.A.2010. Gratitude and Well Being. Psychiatry. 7(11): 18-22.
**Gibson, G.E. and Blass, J.P.1999. “Nutritional and Functional Neurochemistry.” Basic Neurochemistry: Molecular, Cellular, and Medical Aspects, 6th ed. NCBI: Bathesda, MD.
dusk descends
&
bats wing away
abandoning bamboo stanchions
that flex, creak, and groan
during their daily hang
flying like waves of B-52’s
on a doomsday run–
buggy Armageddon
but bugs are too numerous
and
small-brained
to be decimated
it takes giant ganglia
to produce a proper doomsday
Taken in March of 2015 at Savandurga
Occasionally, I get asked to snap a picture of people I don’t know. Usually this happens in off-the-beaten path locales. In this case, it was Savandurga, a hill in the countryside between Bangalore and Mysore that’s a popular day trek destination.
Monkey: A Folk Novel of China by Wu Cheng’en
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
If you’re familiar with any Chinese folklore, it’s probably this story. But you probably know it as “Journey to the West.” It’s not only been released in numerous editions as a novel, it’s also been adapted for film, stage play, and I’m sure there must be a video game of it out there.
If you’re thinking, “Chinese folklore? Sounds boring.” Think again. This is a superhero story. Monkey, also known as the Monkey-King and “Great Sage Equal to Heaven,” is an immortal who has all manner of supernatural powers. He can fly. He can make copies of himself. He can transform himself—either disguising himself as another being or appearing as an inanimate object. He has an iron truncheon that can be the size of a sewing needle or a mile long and which is indestructible. Wielding said staff, he can defeat armies or deities.
In fact, the flaw in this story isn’t a lack of adventure or thrill. On the contrary, it’s one adventure after the next. If anything, the flaw is “Superman Syndrome.” That’s what I call it when the hero is so ridiculously overpowered that even when he’s fighting gods, dragons, or whole armies there’s still no doubt about the outcome.
Of course, the Monkey does eventually meet his match in the form of the Buddha. The Buddha defeats Monkey not in combat, but in a bet. That event shifts the direction of the story. In the early chapters, Monkey is goes about heaven and earth arrogantly wreaking havoc. He’s not altogether detestable. He does have his redeeming traits, but he’s insufferably arrogant and mischievous. After he’s imprisoned following his run-in with the Buddha, a monk is assigned to go to India to bring back scriptures (hence, a “journey to the west”) to China. Monkey is assigned to be the monk’s guardian and along with two others that they pick up along the way (Pigsy and Sandy) the monk is escorted on his journey. The party faces one challenge after the next, and the trip is long and arduous. Some of the challenges require brute force but in many cases they are battles of wits. So while Monkey may be overpowered, he does experience personal growth over the course of the story.
The story is told over 30 chapters, each set up with a cliffhanger. I enjoyed this translation by Arthur Waley. It is end-noted, which is useful given the historic and cultural nuances that may not be clear to readers.
It should be noted that this is unambiguously a Buddhist tale. There is a bias against Taoists and other non-Buddhist religions evident throughout the story. It’s not just the fact that the Buddha easily defeats Monkey when no other deity or group of deities can, there’s a steady stream of anti-Taoist sentiment. So, Taoists and Chinese Folk Religion practitioners be warned, I guess.
I would recommend this book for fiction readers, particularly if you have an interest in the superhero genre or Chinese literature.
