the land of Ch' i - poems by walt curtis ( USA)

                                                     THE LAND OF CH' I  

                                            poems by  Walt  Curtis

                     1. phoenix

 When I die like an aborted rabbit
 burn what remains in white-hot flame
 My soul, like a love-smitten phoenix ,
will fly upward in the melancholy blue 
and find a home calm And devoid of dew .

                                                                                               2. after Kabir

                                                                                     The Guest is the one you meet
                                                                                     and fall in love with
                                                                                     along the Way.   The Guest
                                                                                     is you yourself who
                                                                                     you invite into your own house.
                                                                                    The law of Life is that
                                                                                    we're all guests passing through,
                                                                                     so be hospitable to your own Soul.


                    3. The Land of Ch' i 

China should be called " Chi land "
What is chi ? It's in the body  
and in the landscape. It must
flow like water.  When it's blocked,
life is crippled or dies ...
They discovered it.   The Tao
bless them !   Thousands of years ago
the Chinese use herbs,
acupuncture and Tai Chi for health.
When will we in the West learn
a quick fix does not come in a pill,
with a surgeon's knofe, or
 a shoddy world view ?   The flow
 and force of life is in every land
and culture.   The Earth has chi.  
Hills  nad rocks and ridges, sky
 and clouds and water courses
 stream with the energy of life ---
our blood veins, bones and muscles
know it.   The wise Chinese name it. 
 The vital element in life is" chi".  
Nurture, philosophize, move with it.
 Key your life to chi - be happy .


                      4. The Lotus

is a symbol of purity in Idian
 and Chinese Buddhist iconography.
 How true ! In yoga the lotus
position is so sensual, tranquil
and meditative.   One's body
and spirit merge with the All,
 the highest achievement and teaching
by the master .   We are One
with the universe, like an opening
flower, offering the  perfume
of our being.   From the mud,
white lotus --- blossom symbol
of love !   That's how I feel
about homosexuality!   Buddha
 knew that --- Nothing is dirty
 to the Pure Mind.   The living flower
 is a mudra, shinning example
in Nature of faith .   Shit becomes
 lotus, rotting corpse new life.

ARIL.  22  04  EARTH DAY
 'YOUR BIRTHDAY IS YOUR EARTH DAY"


poems by WALT CURTIS


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"WALT CURTIS, PORTLAND'  S OWN IRREDEEMABLE, IRREVENT AND IRRESPRESSIBLE ' STREET POET ' ... "
 THE OREGONIAN