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****-Narrative | Yin

Twelve days have passed, and no word comes to me,
no painted stroke, no ink upon the page.
I fear the silence, yet I picture her,
a solitary figure, far away.
She seeks the earth, to ground her restless soul,
the water's flow, to cleanse her troubled mind.
The fire's heat, to forge a stronger will,
the wind's soft sigh, to whisper ancient truths,
Beyond the Element Mountains, she must roam.

She walks the paths where granite peaks arise,
where rivers wind through valleys, deep and green.
She feels the heat of embers, glowing bright,
the rustling leaves, a language she can hear.
I see her face, reflected in the stone,
a mirror to the strength she holds within.
She seeks the balance, lost within the storm,
the harmony that silence can impart,
a journey inward, where her spirit flies.

I wait for her, a shadow in the room,
where empty scrolls and brushes gather dust.
I trace her image, on the window pane,
a phantom artist, painting absent days.
I hear her footsteps, in the falling rain,
a distant echo, of her coming home.
I feel the longing, that the silence breeds,
the ache of absence, in the heart's long hall,
a story written, in the waiting time.

She will return, with wisdom in her eyes,
a quiet strength, that silence has refined.
She will bring stories, of the mountain's crest,
the river's journey, the fire's burning grace.
And I will listen, to her whispered tales,
of ancient elements, and inner peace.
For in her journey, love has found its way,
to bridge the distance, that the silence made,
where spirits meet, Beyond the Element Mountains.

--------------------------------------------------­--------------------------------------

Ci-Meditative | Yang

Twelve suns have risen, twelve pale moons have waned,
and silence stretches, a vast, unyielding sea.
No ink-stained paper, no painted breath arrives,
no whispered echo of your distant voice.
I picture you, beyond the city's hum,
a soul adrift, where ancient elements reside.
The earth holds steady, where your bare feet tread,
a grounding force where turmoil starts to cease,
a silent journey, Beyond the Element Mountains.

The water's flow, a cleansing, cool embrace,
washes away the doubts, the fears, the stains.
The fire's dance, a flicker in your eyes,
ignites the passion, where resolve takes hold.
The wind, a restless spirit, whispers truths,
through rustling leaves, a language understood.
The metal gleams, a mirror to your soul,
reflecting strength, a clarity reborn,
a quiet passage through a world unseen.

I trace your steps, a phantom on the path,
imagining the landscapes you explore.
The granite peaks, the river's silver thread,
the burning embers, the sigh of forest breeze.
I build a shrine of thoughts, a mental space,
where your reflection lingers, calm and deep.
My mind, a canvas where your image lives,
a portrait painted with imagined light,
a patient vigil, where hope begins to bloom.

The silence lingers, heavy, yet serene,
a space for growth, a pause where love endures.
I trust the journey, where your spirit flies,
to find the answers, hidden in the stones.
And when you return, with eyes that hold the dawn,
I will embrace the wisdom you have found.
For in the stillness, love's true strength is shown,
a bond unbroken, by the passing days,
where silence lives, Beyond the Element Mountains.
Authors Note:
This is an experiment in a new style.  
**** is a style from the Tang Dynasty - Common to Li Bai writings.
Ci is a style from the Song Dynasty - Common to Li Qingzhao writings.
This is my modernistic take on the styles and my understanding and template to follow.
I am also trying to associate with Tao - balance in the poem, so I provided both.
Naturally, I would have preferred to interweave the stanzas, side by side, left and right justified, but HP isn't quite doing what I want.... thus the experimentation and request for honest feedback.
Funny thing is Yin is feminine energy, and Yang is masculine in nature.  Just like in China, the union (wedding) is represented with the Dragon (male) and the Peacock (female).   And in my relationship that I often write, She is the dragon, born to the year of the Dragon.  So roles reverse a little, again bringing balance.  This poem is no different, as the Yin part is written from my perspective, and the Yang from her perspective.  Much like the poets famous for these styles.  **** was feminine but used by Li Bai, a man to gain notoriety through its use during the Tang Dynasty.  Ci was male but used by Li Qingzhao a prominent poetess of the Song Dynasty.

"****-Narrative" (Yin): Love and Melancholy (No Rhyme)
Focus on a narrative of [briefly describe the story or emotional journey].
Use concise imagery and express [specific emotion(s)].
Use the 9-8-9-8 stanza structure, and do not use rhyme.

"Ci-Meditative" (Yang): Nature, Perception, and Perspective (No Rhyme)
Focus on [theme of nature, perception, or perspective].
Use vivid imagery and an introspective tone.
Use the 9-8-9-8 stanza structure, and do not use rhyme.

Rhyming is optional, however, I find that life doesn't always rhyme, so I avoid it letting the energy and thoughts flow freely and more naturally.
I also used the 9898 sentence structure in the stanzas because 9's and 8's are of significance to the cultures of the East for luck, happiness, and prosperity.

Sorry if this turned into an educational post.

Enjoy, and I look forward to the feedback.
Ink bleeds softly on thin paper,
your words, like strokes of painted light,
arrive, a week delayed, a world away.
I trace the curve of your imagined hand,
the ghost of pigment, the scent of distant rain,
a landscape formed from sentences, and sighs.
My desk, a cluttered altar, holds your art,
a still life of our unspoken dreams,
within a Garden of Whispers, softly spun.

The brush you wield, a whispered secret,
creates worlds I can only touch in thought.
Your canvas blooms with colors I have missed,
a vibrant echo of your absent smile.
Each letter, a portrait of your soul,
revealed in glimpses, shadows, and soft hues.
We build a Garden of Whispers, line by line,
a sanctuary where our spirits meet,
a place where distance cannot truly steal.

The moon, a silent witness to our words,
hangs heavy in the night, a silver coin.
I write by candlelight, the shadows dance,
a phantom audience to my devotion.
My pen, a clumsy instrument of love,
attempts to capture what your art conveys.
I yearn for touch, for shared and simple breath,
within this Garden of Whispers, we reside,
a moment where the ink and paint collide.

The year revolves, a slow and aching dance,
of paper ships that sail across the miles.
I wait for spring, for your returning hand,
to paint the landscape of a living day.
My heart, a canvas stretched and waiting still,
for your arrival, for your vibrant touch.
The letters fade, the ink begins to pale,
yet in this Garden of Whispers, love remains,
a masterpiece, etched in the soul’s long hall.
I combined this into a "****-Narrative" style, with a 9-8-9-8 structure, and striving to use no rhymes....
The subject of this was the year-long correspondence with my GF.  Reflecting on what it is I love about her.  Though written as if we were still using pen and paper, I meant to express the power of words and art to bridge the gap that distance has created. It reflects on longing, love, and the intimacy shared through correspondence and creative expression.
The night's deep well, where Whispers of a Silent Heart reside,
On silken winds, a phantom dance, where secrets softly glide.
My silent heart, a jade-clasped box, each thrum a muted strain,
Time, like thick honey, slowly drips, a sorrow's gentle rain.

Shadows on papered walls now bloom, with memories' faint trace,
Lost dreams, like plum blossoms, swept from a forgotten vase.
A single star, through clouded panes, a fragile hope's thin gleam,
While the world, in breathless hush, awaits the dawn's first beam.

A sigh, like rustling bamboo leaves, stirs tender thoughts anew,
Wrapped in the warmth of solitude, where only truths accrue.
The heart, a silkworm's hidden thread, its softest sighs impart,
Whispers of a Silent Heart, a world held deep apart.

In quietude, a lotus pool, where unseen depths unfold,
A universe of solitude, in stories yet untold.
My painted brow, a furrowed line, reflects the moon's pale light,
Whispers of a Silent Heart, alone in fading night.
The light, a fractured prism, paints a wall,
But what hues dance there, is not for all.
My eyes, a filter, stained by memory's trace,
See crimson where another finds a gentle space.
The scent of rain, to me, a promise kept,
To you, a ghost of tears, a sorrow wept.

The mountain's peak, a triumph, sharp and bold,
To those below, a story yet untold.
The river's flow, a journey, smooth and grand,
To those it floods, a vengeful, grasping hand.
A whispered word, a lover's softest plea,
To jealous ears, a sharp conspiracy.

The canvas vast, of moments spun and frayed,
Each stroke of sense, a different truth displayed.
The taste of wine, a vintage, rich and deep,
To bitter tongues, a poison they will keep.
The touch of skin, a comfort, warm and true,
To those betrayed, a wound they can't undo.

The rustling leaves, a symphony of sound,
To anxious hearts, a threat on hallowed ground.
The city's hum, a vibrant, pulsing beat,
To weary souls, a suffocating heat.
The silent stare, a gaze of pure intent,
To guilty minds, a judgment heaven-sent.

The world unfolds, a tapestry of sight,
Each thread a truth, held in a different light.
Beliefs and values, woven, tight and deep,
Shape how we see, the secrets we will keep.
A half-full glass, a beacon, shining bright,
A half-empty void, consumed by endless night.

The bridge we build, between our separate shores,
Demands a language, that forever explores.
No single map, can chart the human heart,
Each landscape shifts, and tears the world apart.
And so we ask, and listen, and explain,
To find the common ground, to ease the pain.

The silent spaces, where our visions clash,
Require the gentle touch, of understanding's flash.
To share the stories, that our senses weave,
To bridge the gaps, that time can never leave.
To build a world, where empathy can thrive,
Where different eyes, can learn to keep alive.

And in the quiet moments, when we’re alone,
We ponder the foundations, we’ve always known.
We seek the answers, in each other’s gaze,
To navigate the labyrinth, of life’s complex maze.
Though we look at things from a glass half full or half empty – perhaps the question should be - is there a glass?
Author's note:
I remember a conversation years ago, where I had acquaintances - uber-nerds that all attended undergrad studies.  They started a discussion to egg the high school-educated Marine into a debate - whether to belittle me or embarrass me.  And the quantum state postulate of Schrödinger's cat was the subject.  Though it is a physics question, it rang of a psychology question I had once concerning Perception versus Perspective - and I remember being asked to leave by my professor after disrupting the class with my answer in the form of the question in the poem.
I posed the same question to the uber-nerds, and it shut them up.
Is there a box, Is there a cat?  Is there a glass???  prove it.....  Perception vs. Perspective
Jiǔzhài Xīnyǔ

Shānsè kōngméng suǒ bì hú,
Fēipù yín liàn wǔ yún qú.
Dié cǎi yáochí yìng tiānjìng,
Qīngliú wǎnzhuǎn sù shǔ dū.

Qiūfēng rǎn lín fēngyè chì,
Dōngxuě fù lǐng yù qióng zhī.
Sìjì lúnhuí jiē shì huà,
Xīn suí liúshuǐ jì xiāngsī.

Céng yì qiāng gē rào cuì gǔ,
Jīnzhāo mènglǐ fǎng yōudú.
Xì tīng Jiǔzhài xīnyǔ sù,
Yī lǚ xiāngchóu rù fèifǔ.

Whispers of Jiǔzhàigōu

Mountain hues, misty, lock jade lakes deep,
Flying waterfalls, silver silk, cloud pathways sweep.
Layered, colorful pools, heaven's mirror gleam,
Clear streams, winding, Chengdu's tales they seem.

Autumn winds paint forests, maple leaves burn red,
Winter snow covers peaks, jade tapestry spread.
Four seasons turn, each a painted scene,
Heart follows flowing water, longing, serene.

Once, Qiang songs echoed in emerald valleys,
Today, in dreams, I seek its lonely alleys.
Listening closely to Jiǔzhàigōu's whispers,
A strand of homesickness, in my heart, I hold.
My sencond poem, written in Li QingZhao's ci poetry 5-7-5-9 rhythm and style.
I spent a lot of time in the Jiuzhai Valley.... absorbing the culture, and visiting the National Park.  I encourage you to visit https://en.jiuzhai.com/ learn of this magical natural wonder of this park.
Liǔ Xīn

Chuí liǔ sī sī xì xīyáng,
Yín bō mò mò yìng yuèguāng.
Gēn zhā nítǔ chéng hòuzhòng,
Zhī wǔ fēng zhōng sù zhōngcháng.

Rì nuǎn róu tiáo zhǎn xīnlǜ,
Yè hán xiān yǐng yè qīngjì.
Jiāngshuǐ yōuyōu zài biélí,
Xīnxù wàn qiān jì liǔdí.

Chūn lái huā luò jiē shì kè,
Wéi yǒu liǔ sī qiān húnpò.
Mò dào lí chóu kōng zì rǎo,
Liǔ xīn yī diǎn zhào shānhé.


The Willow's Heart

Silken willow strands bind the setting sun,
Silver ripples softly reflect the moon's spun.
Roots in earth, bearing burdens deep,
Branches dance in wind, secrets to keep.

Warm sun brings tender shoots of vibrant green,
Cold nights, slender shadows, lonely scene.
River flows, carrying partings' sigh,
Myriad heart's thoughts, in willow flute lie.

Spring's blooms and falls, all passing guests,
Only willow threads, the soul invests.
Do not say parting's sorrow is in vain,
Willow's heart single point, illuminates mountain and plain.
Written in Li QingZhao's ci poetry 5-7-5-9 rhythm and style.
I hope that I did her justice with using her stylings for this poem.
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