on the question of which thefts are justified: a series of poems after the Tang poet, Meng Jiao
by Kit Kelen
[ poetry - may 08 ]
on plagiarism or on the question of which thefts are justified
the Book of Rites cautions against gnawing bones
you'll notice with dogs how the solitary mutt
thus engaged can make the others greedy
consider the case of babies
they can keep sugared peaches
in the mouth for quite a while
as time passes the flavour goes
but lacking reinforcements they'll
hang on to the thing they've got
watch an old man on his rope bed
reading silently ˆ that's quite a feat
in the Zhuangzi do you know that passage
about 'travelling freely'?
it too needs to be rewritten
in the end words go
they're clean that way
they won't make a gentleman of you
the poet feeling sorry for himself
all my heart to copy these poems
for others to read, to hear
sad that the old styles
fall out of fashion
that poems aren't what people want
even the peasants mock poetry
words like snow falling
mind bright as mirror
I hold ice in my hands
not drinking, not even that
cross legged like the Buddha
o where is the way?
see how art must suffer for me
not a single new line today
self-exile
I've thought this through
and I've decided to
beat them at their own game
banish myself
why not?
look how it's been
dawn comes
I'm still at the books
even the ghosts start to worry for me
they're dozing off and I'm still at it
heart/mind, the body: what discord
failure tortures the soul till death
only a moment of pain there is
for those who choose the shortest journey
in cassias there are no straight branches
how green the river
how perfect obscurity
free ride
twice in my dreams tonight
to Chang'an
I sigh and I sigh
dreams won't take me home
that's just too far
for the sleeper to travel
tears fall uselessly
won't water flowers
perhaps if the morning comes
I'll set out
