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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.
The Dragon year, a vibrant hue,
Now fades, a memory, bittersweet and true.
Solitude's embrace, a winter's chill,
Gave way to warmth, a love that time can't ****.

The Rabbit year, a sorrow's bitter sting,
Left scars unseen, a wounded spirit's wing.
The Dragon's dawn, a fragile, timid bloom,
Seeking solace in life's quiet room.

But destiny, with gentle, guiding hand,
Revealed a soul, a kindred understand.
Beyond the surface, deep within her core,
The anguish seen, and wounds forevermore.

A solace offered, unexpected grace,
Two souls entwined in a warm embrace.
The spark ignited, a love beyond compare,
Mending the broken, easing every care.

Now hand in hand, they journey to the Snake,
A new beginning, for love's sweet sake.
Heart to heart, a balance they will find,
Forever bound, in love's embrace entwined.
2023 Year of the Rabbit
2024 Year of the Dragon
2025 Year of the Snake

This poem was written about our Chinese Lunar New Years (29Jan2025) and the bringing the Dragon to a close, embracing the Snake, but the Journey that my love endured from the end of Rabbit to the beginning of Snake.
Heidi Franke Sep 2023
I woke early
Enough to meet the stars
Like diamonds in a mine
Or apples on a tree that never fall
They weren't there for me or you
They just are.
A man coughed
Walking up the sidewalk
In the dawn
As he passed by my house, startled me
While stargazing.
I am reminded
There is now,
then and there
I am reminded to let things flow
To Let things go
As the wave does
When encountering the ocean, disappearing into it.
What today is your humility looking to?
Zywa Jul 2023
Don't go anywhere,

there is a Way, you just walk --


That's living your life.
Tao

"The Book and the Brotherhood" (1987, Iris Murdoch), § 1

Collection "Unspoken"
Kagey Sage Nov 2021
No, I won't turn off the T.V.
so I can concentrate harder
The point is I want to be so care free
that I multi-task out of existence
I do all the tasks at once
I am
I am
I am
even if you say it
Now, I do all the tasks at once
Music
Podcast
Video game
and the antennae TV hum
so I can't skip no commercials
Have my feelers all over the globe
I feel all the feels at once
I am
I am
I am
even if you say it
Now, I feel all the feels at once
Music
Podcast
Video game
Now, I do all the tasks at once
I am
I am
I am
Even if you say it
I just need you to say it
I am
I am
I am
Even if you say it
I just need you to say it
Douglas Balmain Jun 2021
The greatest mastery of self
is to do nothing.
We are doers
programmed to do,
to solve, to be busy
creating problems
just to solve them
rewarding ourselves
with ever more destructive prizes.
We congratulate ourselves
for our compulsive expenditure
like an addict congratulating
themselves for turning back
to the needle.

We are all addicts.

The true anarchist
does nothing.
Originally published at https://www.douglasbalmain.com/anarchy.html
Kagey Sage Feb 2021
Burning nostalgic memories
letting the smoke flow out my nose
Cause I resigned myself to just sit and pine
and dream about times where I paid no mind
to past lives

The past five years
I though the world would end
I shacked up with one that decried
my wasted potential in normal jobs
Like where do you get off
if I'm making halfway decent bucks?

The irony of our artsy resurgent humanity degrees
Just go and sell life insurance
Them boomers turned us into gloomers
Generation X, my young parents
the first victims,
at least they had half a fair shake in life
I think the 90s had it right
dripping in yin yang rings and necklaces
so we wouldn't lose our way

Woo wee, where were we?
Hiding from my brother in a clothes rack
with my parents at the mall every weekend
So much confidence in where we were going
The end of history itself
in our careful chaos regulation
Niel Nov 2020
Useless being, dancing amongst the 10,000 things
      The Fool immersed.
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