chugging upriver,
past karst spires, the boaters’
time seems to slow.
Upriver [Haiku]
Reply
“Song of the Open Road” (4 of 9) by Walt Whitman [w/ Audio]
The earth expanding right hand and left
hand,
The picture alive, every part in its best light,
The music falling in where it is wanted, and
stopping where it is not wanted,
The cheerful voice of the public road, the
gay fresh sentiment of the road.
O highway I travel, do you say to me Do
not leave me?
Do you say Venture not--if you leave me
you are lost?
Do you say I am already prepared, I am
well-beaten and undenied, adhere to me?
O public road, I say back I am not afraid to
leave you, yet I love you,
You express me better than I can express
myself,
You shall be more to me than my poem.
I think heroic deeds were all conceiv'd in the
open air, and all free poems also,
I think I could stop here myself and do
miracles,
I think whatever I shall meet on the road I
shall like, and whoever beholds me shall
like me,
I think whoever I see must be happy.
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DAILY PHOTO: Wat Samakixay Drum & Bell Tower
Asian Weaver Ant [Lyric Poem]
There once was a wee Asian Weaver Ant
Who lived on a big banana tree plant.
When they cut down his tree, a problem arose,
Moving to a rubber tree would be too on-the-nose.
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Water Lily [Haiku]
“Song of the Open Road” (3 of 15) by Walt Whitman [w/ Audio]
You air that serves me with breath to speak!
You objects that call from diffusion my
meanings and give them shape!
You light that wraps me and all things in
delicate equable showers!
You paths worn in the irregular hollows by
the roadsides!
I believe you are latent with unseen
existences, you are so dear to me.
You flagg'd walks of the cities! you strong
curbs at the edges!
You ferries! you planks and posts of wharves!
you timber-lined sides! you distant ships!
You rows of houses! you window-pierc'd
façades! you roofs!
You porches and entrances! you copings and
iron guards!
You windows whose transparent shells
might expose so much!
You doors and ascending steps! you arches!
You gray stones of interminable pavements!
you trodden crossings!
From all that has touch'd you I believe you
have imparted to yourselves, and now
would impart the same secretly to me,
From the living and the dead you have
peopled your impassive surfaces, and the
spirits thereof would be evident and
amicable with me.
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BOOKS: “Shaolin: How to win without fighting” by Bernhard Moestl
Shaolin: How to win without fighting by Bernhard MoestlMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher Site
This is a self-help book that nominally draws on the philosophy of Shaolin Kung fu and its Chan Buddhist underpinnings, but – more broadly – employs quotes and examples from many, mostly Eastern, sources. For example, the ideas and stories of Miyamoto Musashi are perhaps as common as any source (Musashi was Japanese, not Chinese, and was not noted for being Buddhist. In his own words, he respected the gods and buddhas, but didn’t expect their help.)
The book offers a fine discussion of Eastern philosophic thought in action, particularly that which arose from warrior sources, but it isn’t particularly ground-breaking in any way. For those who like homework, the book does include many exercises to make the reading a more interactive experience.
I enjoyed reading this book well enough, but it didn’t distinguish itself and will soon fall into the mind-space of a fuzzy amalgamation of similar books I’ve read over the years.
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Lingerers [Haiku]
side-by-side trees:
one bloom-laden; one with
a few lingerers.
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DAILY PHOTO: Boats on the Mekong
Image
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Fire, Short-lived [Haiku]
overcast dawn:
cloud edges burn... briefly,
then cool to gray.
Tiger Riding for Beginners 