CHINA ARTS COUNCIL

Poetry

Where is the Enemy?

With a flash of lightning,
With a crack of thunder,
Wind blows through hidden canyons.
And my enemy appears
Fierce as a tiger;
Clever as a monkey.

Darting through the landscape of my mind.
Haunting my private reverie;
Taunting my desires.

Chasing him, shadows appear.
In darkness, nothing's clear.
A rolling fog is everywhere.

Twisting, turning, fists emerge
And a whirlwind appears.
Palms fall from the sky.

Like thundering horses
My kicks strike the ground
And the Earth trembles in fear.

Striking the unseen enemy,
Hitting nothing but the air.

My spirit expands, contracts,
Rises, falls, and spirals,
Until everything is clear

And I stand alone amid a bamboo grove
Green and glistening from a warm yellow sun.
Quiet, alert, respectful,

I accept myself.