10.
Carrying—protecting this chariot load of sprouting seeds and talents with a weapon on a pole—
the spiritual soul—that light of a palatial womb’s crossed torches,
the physical soul that stays with a body after death—that skull-white demon-faced ghost with a tail:
bundling it all up together—in one’s arms—into
One…
capable—powerful as that legendary bear with deer legs—of
Nothing—no one dancing with long tails flowing from their wrists—nope never, no way, nowhere, nohow Not-Being
separated—like as divided as ‘a short-tailed bird’ is from a failed mountain demon with ‘a very prominent tail’—
—pah, can you?!
Monopolizing—like a big round spindle over an inch-sized spot that’s as small as where you measure the radial artery pulse in your wrist—
the breath of life—that vital energy, that air flow that’s like rice given as a gift:
causing—lightly hitting and leaving a mark of
softening—to be like a tree that can be cut with a spear…
capable—powerful as that legendary bear with deer legs—of
an infant—a kneeling woman’s, a mother’s wealth as surely as a string of cowry-like riches—
baby son—with an imperfect fontanelle—
—pah, can you?!
Washing and arranging—like hitting lightly, stripping, and knotting twigs into slips to write on—
a new posting—moving me to a different thatched cottage on a soil mountain:
hard-to-see dark structure—like a figure-eight skein of string-dyed-black—
reflecting like a vessel looking down—all eyes—overseeing…
capable—powerful as that legendary bear with deer legs—of
Nothing—no one dancing with long tails flowing from their wrists—nope never, no way, nowhere, nohow Not-Being
an illness that stops a person—like on a stretcher—
—pah, can you?!
Loving—your heart-core in your throat—
civilians—like the Mín people enslaved by blinding with a dagger:
governing—regulating by harnessing the river named Happy or speaking of turning oneself’—
this nation—this particular territory, this enclave defended by a weapon on a pole plus its surroundings…
capable—powerful as that legendary bear with deer legs—of
Nothing—no one dancing with long tails flowing from their wrists—nope never, no way, nowhere, nohow Not-Being
firing arrows from the mouth—sure—
—pah, can you?!
Heaven(that sky level above the human head)-double-winged gateway…
unlatching the double-winged gateway with a pair of hands,
shutting it—a person with a mouth between their legs withdrawing and covering an empty chalice from within the double-winged gateway…
capable—powerful as that legendary bear with deer legs—of
efforting—like lifting up an elephant—
femaleness—the foot stops a person here, on their footprint, at this ‘short-tailed bird’—
—pah, can you?!
As bright as dawn rising on a crescent moon—enlightened:
a hundred,
in all four directions,
arriving like small lambs—walking a while and stopping a while…
capable—powerful as that legendary bear with deer legs—of
Nothing—no one dancing with long tails flowing from their wrists—nope never, no way, nowhere, nohow Not-Being
firing arrows from the mouth—sure—
—pah, can you?!
~
Birthing—a bud sprouting from the ground
has this;
rearing animals—giving them feed from a bag tied with a rope
has this…
birthing—a bud sprouting from the ground—
and yet now, bearded, you:
the husk of the initial protective bud casing—the sepal—but not really the true inner flower of
Flesh-and-blood, meat-holding Being;
efforting—like lifting up an elephant—
and yet now, bearded, you:
the husk of the initial protective bud casing—the sepal—but not really the true inner flower of
expecting that will be holding one’s heart-core like a mother;
lengthening like long hair,
and yet now, bearded, you:
the husk of the initial protective bud casing—the sepal—but not really the true inner flower of
dominating—like the house of that chisel used to mark slaves and criminals.
The sun—walking across the sundial a while, stopping a while—sees indeed
what it’s called when speaking from the gut—words, like slaves or criminals branded by a chisel emerging from a mouth…
hard-to-see dark structure—like a figure-eight skein of string-dyed-black…
the Dé—an ethics system that’s the straight-heart-core of the way.
The Dào of Lâozî 