Tuesday, August 12, 2014

TUESDAY POEM | EIGHT by Lao Tsu


                                          

Untitled | Pastel on Paper | CB | c. 1987


                                          EIGHT

                                          The very best we can be is like water.
                                          Reflect on the value of water:
                                          It benefits all creatures, without competing,
                                          It settles in places people dislike;
                                          Yes, this is very close to the way.
                                          Goodness in a house is its foundations,
                                          Goodness in a mind is its depth,
                                          Goodness in companions is their kindness,
                                          Goodness in speaking is sincerity,
                                          Goodness in government is straightforwardness,
                                          Goodness in work is skill,
                                          Goodness in movement is timing.
                                          It is only by not competing
                                          that we can avoid going wrong.

                                          Lao Tzu



This week's editor on the Tuesday Poem hub is Tim Jones with A Whimper After a Bang by Emily Manger. Tim writes

". . . What I like most about this poem is its swagger. Most post-apocalyptic poems are, believe it or not, something of a downer, but - at least on the surface - the protagonist of this poem is full of vim and vigour, tough as biltong, a kickass predator perfectly adapted to her environment. The toughness of the character is mirrored by the toughness of the poem, a landscape of spiky lines.

Look a little closer, though. . . " 

Please click on the quill.


6 comments:

  1. The true solutions are not always easy, are they? This is so clear. xoxo

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    1. They aren't, Marylinn - and we, to the best of our ability, do what we can to keep our eyes and mind and heart on 'true' and on trust.

      Lao Tsu's lines

      "It is only by not competing
      that we can avoid going wrong."

      provide much comfort.

      xo

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  2. Love this and lately, I've been in love with water, especially swimming, during this hot, hot summer in western Canada.

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    Replies
    1. A 'woot' to being in love with water, dbs!

      May we all be so in love!

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  3. Chopsticks whirling water? Still very pertinent today. "Goodness in a house is its foundations" and " Goodness in government is straightforwardness," certainly ring true in Christchurch.

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    Replies
    1. Hmm - not sure I'd call these chopsticks, Andrew, but no objection if that is how you read them!

      I love that the wisdom of these ancient poems resonates with the same freshness and relevance today.

      Delete