It is sitting on a mountain away from all the man-made distractions
It is enjoying a flower
Deep in thought, with no interactions
It is the art of Cha-Do, seven basic concepts
A doorway shortened
So one leaves behind what they possess
The polite refusal of the first drink
Done to show humility and respect
And whose participants share a common, humble link.
It is the calm after the storm
The balancing of Qi
A stepping back from the norm
Last Few Words: Motivation and focus: It would take forever and a day to describe the art of Cha-Do, so I'll spare you that. Meter is a modified Terza Rima but I didn't do the traditional ABA, BCB, etc.. A lot of this stems from the desire to get back to the humbleness and simplicity I once knew. Anyone who has visited my site knows what I'm talking about. For those who haven't - two words sum it up - Eastern teachings.
Style/Type: Structured: Western
Review Request Intensity: I want the raw truth, feel free to knock me on my back
Editing Stage: Editing - rough draft
Comments
more or less
The concepts aren't new to me, it's just that I've become too lax on them. Trying to change that. Thx for the visit!
hello
I liked the poem but any belief system based on more than"just be" is by its own definition not simple lol.....stan
Thx Stan
Well, like all religions and faith, it takes effort. =)
Thanks for stopping in!
Hi...
this is sublimely beautiful...true to the phrase "beauty in simplicity" i enjoyed reading it...
Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed!
Oh so lovely
Then having written lovely even that word seems overused and normish! You obviously know what simplicity is, what humbleness is too perhaps the word here as much as simplicity? But also the harmony of fitting in is suggested here, as Qi suggests with its cool calm meditational directness achieved in the haiku for occasionally just as you would wish.
Perhaps I shouldn't, but my little thought about Qi I rewrite here:-
Nature's chi she speaks
to me, in words of wisdom
silently.
Well its essence anyway.
This we all need and specially the young people of today, they often have "no time to stand and stare"!
Ann.
Ann
Well said! Good l'il haiku as well. Finding the balance is indeed hard, and yes, a lot of the youth today (and just people in general) have gravitated towards a materialistic sense of entitlement and greed. Quite sad, really.
Thanks for popping in!
Dear Jess,
A humble approach to life and living. The only word I can think of is: lovely. From this, I maybe wrong, but I gather you lean toward eastern religion and philosophies? Just one question: What is "Qi"?
I love this:
The polite refusal of the first drink
Done to show humility and respect
And whose participants share a common, humble link.
always, Cat
Hi Cat!
To answer your inquiry: yes and no. LOL, how's that for vague? Actually, I'm Christian - but learned and practiced Eastern teachings in conjunction, as the two go hand-in-hand. A former Kyosa-nim (martial arts instructor) and several of my former Japanese engineers taught me basic tenements of life:
ye ui (courtesy), yom chi (integrity), kuk gi (self-control). I tried to follow these as best as I could, but over the past few years have become very lax.
Qi (Chi) is hard to explain, and many will argue the finer semantics of it. I will go by what I've learned. Qi is an energy. Everything has it. Now some will argue it's positive only. I say that there is negative and positive Qi. If you're in the right mindset, you will experience positive energy. If you're not, you will experience negative energy.
I don't normally self-promote - but if you go to http://www.centranthus.blogspot.com and go to "Sencha Blues" you can see how I was affected by negative Qi.
Funny how the stanza I dislike the most is the one you like the best.... heh. I don't think it flows well. Maybe I'm wrong. Thanks as always, my dear Cat!!
Dear Jess,
It seems as though we have a lot in common! (Although I'm not Christian) I too believe in courtesy, integrity and self-control, (and negative and positive energy!) Steve says, and believes, that I am the most moral person he knows who is governed by that morality. I don't see that, but I try hard to follow my moral code. I feel I oft times fall short.
Thank you for explaining it to me. I think you are an excellent writer, and not just with poetry.
always, Cat
Jess
I learn something new everyday about you , your beliefs etc . This is quite lovely
what do you refer to when you say
"The polite refusal of the first drink"
What is Qi/Chi ?
The damp (one Chinese character) rising( two ChineseC, ) from cooked rice(three Chinese C.)
Japanese language contains over 11,442 known usages of "ki" as a compound. As a compound, it may represent syllables associated with the mind, the heart, feeling, the atmosphere, and flavor...
References to things analogous to the qi taken to be the life-process or “flow” of energy that sustains living beings are found in many belief systems,...
The earliest description of qi in the current sense of vital energy is due to Mencius (4th century BC)....
I just took a few pointers, its best to look it up Cat! Its a facinating concept and as you see an be interpreted by many individual theories.
Ann.
Dear Jess,
I went to your beautiful, mellow web site and much enjoyed what I found there. I have a question: In the poem "Sundown" were you refering to a motorcycle when you wrote of the "Goldwing?" I used to drive a motorcycle and I'm also an excellent rider. My husband has said that I ride like his laundry, meaning he couldn't tell I was there at all, lol.
Back to your site. I hope you don't mind if I quote you here:
"My lesson? If you want a tea to 'help' you, try to clear your mind first. If you go in with stresses, you'll come out with...well...crap. I don't know if this is a plausible lesson, and take from it what you will..."
A true Jessism
always, Cat
Thanks, Cat!
LOL, 'Jessism'... I love it. It was an unintentional play on words, to be honest. Some teas, if drunk on an empty stomach, or the wrong mindset, will run right through you. Sencha is one of those. Very strong Qi. A lot of young Pu-erh teas have the same "downwards" Qi. That's basically what that post was talking about - I was in the wrong frame of mind to brew Sencha, and so reacted poorly to it, and experienced negative Qi.
The Goldwing was fictionalized. As seen in my comment to WS George, I don't have one.. I surrendered my motorcycle license long ago, but still remember the feeling of freedom one feels on a bike. It was a feeling I was able to recapture to some degree in a convertible sports car racing towards sunset in the Arizona deserts. It was the beginning of the end to a lot of things that I won't post here, but due to recent events, I'm sure you can surmise.
Jess K
A showing write, the loneliness that is crowded within the confines of a content mind.
To be able to look at a flower from the inside, your write is on these levels, good to read, Yours Ian.T