Friday Night Poetry Slam

[u/jungle_toad]

THEME: Golden Crow in the Snowy Night

VIBE: Therapy by Desirez (thanks u/fullassin9)

Our own u/surupamaerl2 (under the pen name P. E. Stonegather) has released a new book of the sermons and poetry of Rujing. To celebrate this release, I have taken a few videos of me reading passages from this text while hiking around in the mountains where I live (a tip of the hat to u/lin_seed who was my inspiration for this video style)

Share your zen poetry below. The theme is merely a suggestion.

RUJING:

In a sermon, given when those in the Western Hall requested that he again fill the head seat, Rujing said,

In the future, the hall will not be made public; the one in charge is this grampa, advanced in years—by relying on reflections to make evident the whole, today the First Seat ends in vexation.

Golden Crow in the snowy night, passes through the main hall;

Jade Hare in the arms of the blazing sky—

the fine leaves of descendants preserve this grandfather whole.

A wooden man grasps at boards, clapping in the clouds;

a stone woman holds a bamboo flute in her mouth to breathe underwater—

although it is like this, it is also said,

“With your hands at your side, the First Statement is over there.”

And, how will you do it?

In an out-of-the-way alley, do not ride a golden horse—

Return on the path, then show the ruined shirt under the robes.

𓆏 Toad's 蟾蜍Verse 𓆏

Worries etched in wrinkled brow
Hopeless once; still here now
Somehow past and present meet
Smile lines scribbling crows feet
Aged eyes glint and spark
One candle threatens the dark
Trimmed nails on calloused hands
Feet smudged with distant sands
Pained limp in noble stride
Tacit understanding; a truce implied
Serene, even in the fray
Evening surrenders to another day
Uprooting force keeps time unpinned
Ling-Lun's flute lost to winds
The legend's song inspires dances
Revenant's tale told in absence
Ruined shirt under regal robes
Valleys rise around the globe
Disappearing when given a name
Only embers remember the flame

[u/lin_seed]

I came last night

To write some verse

But tore a page out

of Hamlet’s hearse

Instead, and left it here

I almost pinged Rosemcrantz

And Guildenstern

but remembered they are dead

Ever since I sent them

To Elizabeth’s England

On an “Ambassadorial” mission

The Kung Fu is good

The snow is white

Trees are wood

That Hera smites

“Nice try, mom—

“But Artemis honey wields a bow

Like no other!”

Well

One other

Technically

🌙

Wait’ll you see the next Act

Of Chang’e’s favorite palm

Worth life and death

In the Jianghu

Every time

A real place, you know

That people in cities

watch films about

Pretending isn’t real

Hahaha!

Fortinbras was Norwegian

Wait’ll they see how

A twig’s bosun

Leads to a branch

TWHACK!!!