“The Pasture” by Robert Frost [w/ Audio]

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I'm going out to clean the pasture spring;
  I'll only stop to rake the leaves away
 (And wait to watch the water clear, I may):
  I sha'n't be gone long.  -- You come too.

I'm going out to fetch the little calf
  That's standing by the mother. It's so young,
  It totters when she licks it with her tongue.
  I sha'n't be gone long. -- You come too.

Lizard [Lyric Poem]

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Ah! What a life, to be a lizard:
   Unacquainted with ice or blizzard,
 Knowing only warmth and beaches...
   All but for sand in one's nether reaches.

DAILY PHOTO: Red House and Treetops, Caye Caulker

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Crab [Lyric Poem]

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Not sure whether to call the crab "monstrous," 
   Or, rather, to class it "preposterous?"
 Claw outsized, staggering like drunken ants,
   If I saw one dog-sized, I'd crap my pants.

“The Bridge” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow [w/ Audio]

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I stood on the bridge at midnight,
   As the clocks were striking the hour,
 And the moon rose o’er the city,
   Behind the dark church-tower.

I saw her bright reflection
   In the waters under me,
 Like a golden goblet filling
   And sinking into the sea.

And far in the hazy distance 
   Of that lovely night in June,
 The blaze of the flaming furnace
   Gleamed redder than the moon.

Among the long, black rafters 
   The wavering shadows lay,
 And the current that came from the ocean
   Seemed to lift and bear them away;

As, sweeping and eddying through them,
   Rose the belated tide,
 And, streaming into the moonlight,
   The seaweed floated wide.

And like those waters rushing
   Among the wooden piers,
 A flood of thoughts came o'er me
   That filled my eyes with tears.

How often, O, how often,
   In the days that had gone by,
 I had stood on that bridge at midnight
   And gazed on that wave and sky!

How often, O, how often,
   I had wished that the ebbing tide
 Would bear me away on its bosom
   O'er the ocean wild and wide!

For my heart was hot and restless,
   And my life was full of care,
 And the burden laid upon me 
   Seemed greater than I could bear.

But now it has fallen from me,
   It is buried in the sea;
 And only the sorrow of others
   Throws its shadow over me.

Yet whenever I cross the river
   On its bridge with wooden piers,
 Like the odor of brine from the ocean
   Comes the thought of other years.

And I think how many thousands
   Of care-encumbered men,
 Each bearing his burden of sorrow,
   Have crossed the bridge since then.

I see the long procession
   Still passing to and fro,
 The young heart hot and restless,
   And the old subdued and slow!

And forever and forever,
   As long as the river flows,
 As long as the heart has passions,
   As long as life has woes;

The moon and its broken reflection
   And its shadows shall appear,
 As the symbol of love in heaven,
   And its wavering image here.

Giraffe Headbutts [Lyric Poem]

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I was warned giraffes like to give headbutts.
   I told the man, "You must be nuts!
Even if true, my head 's far too low."
   "That's why we built a tower, now up you go!"
Tower built at the Giraffe Centre to put humans at headbutt level.

DAILY PHOTO: A Strange Plant Stumbled Upon in the Savanna

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Warthog [Lyric Poem]

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Given that "warts" and "hogs" are both unloved,
   Why not prybar letters, together shoved?
 A well-placed dash might do the trick,
    Would "War-Thog" sound too sci-fi bombastic?

BOOKS: “Taoism: An Essential Guide” by Eva Wong

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Taoism: An Essential GuideTaoism: An Essential Guide by Eva Wong
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Publisher Site

This book offers the reader clarity about the scope of Taoism, a daunting challenge given Taoism’s long history and how it overlaps with other schools of philosophy as well as with Traditional Chinese Religion, more broadly. The book is divided into three parts: history, specialties (magic, divination, ceremony, inward training, and karma yoga,) and practices (meditation, somatic practices [e.g. qi gong and taijiquan,] and rituals and ceremonies.) The history section covers a period from pre-Taoist shamanic practices of 5,000 years ago, practices that would inform early Taoism, to a period during which Taoism became entwined with Buddhism and Confucianism. The specialties and practices sections attempt to give the reader a broad overview while avoiding discussion of “how-to.”

I found this book to be informative and interesting. It did feel more effectively geared toward someone with an interest in Taoism as religion rather than Taoism as a philosophy. The discussion does sometimes get into the weeds on issues like ceremonies and talismans (again, not in a how-to fashion, but with some arcane detail nevertheless,) but — at the same time — besides some discussion of the teachings of the Tao Te Jing and some exploration of Taoist metaphysics in the Divinational Taoism chapter, there’s not a lot of insight into Taoism as philosophy. That said, it does end each chapter with a “Further Reading” section that can point readers interested in a specific topic elsewhere.

If you’ve ever been overwhelmed at one of those bright and complicated Chinese temples and would like some insight into what Taoists do and how it’s different (or not different) from what Confucianists, Traditional Chinese Religion practitioners, and Zen Buddhists do, this is a good book to check out. If you’re solely interested in Taoism as a school of philosophy or otherwise have a specific focus such as qi gong and breathwork practices, you can probably find books that are better tailored to your needs.

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“They shut me up in Prose–” (445) by Emily Dickinson [w/ Audio]

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They shut me up in Prose --
   As when a little Girl
 They put me in the Closet --
   Because they liked me "still" --
 
Still! Could themself have peeped --
   And seen my Brain -- go round --
 They might as wise have lodged a Bird
    For Treason -- in the Pound --

Himself has but to will
   And easy as a Star
 Look down opon Captivity --
   And laugh -- No more have I --