IN CASE YOU HAVE NOT VISITED BEFORE
by Tanya Joyce, Emeryville, CA
In case you have not visited before
This is the land of plains and forests,
Rivers flow along the grasslands,
Springs bubble in the woods.
Here, in the recesses of the earth,
Great powers rise, visible in clouds.
From flowers, cones, and the sap of trees
Fragrances manifest.
Intelligence rises on the winds.
Birds tell stories, animals keep rhythm.
Fish punctuate the quiet, jumping, diving.
Insects whirr and everywhere
Contentment reigns.
In case you have not visited before
This is the land of plains and forests.
At night the stars attend.
Auroras crackle as they pass
Like draperies rippling on breezes,
Circling one star which, like a center pole,
Holds up the house of light.
Walking the star path, spreading, stretching,
Lifting, descending, stepping, drumming,
Crowding, laughing, silent, seeking.
The monkey king eats peaches here
In the arms of clouds.
He circles from treetop to treetop,
His stalwart staff
A fishing pole, fishing for stars.
A scepter of cloud forms,
Coiling in eddies, nurturing
Herbs of longevity.
The monkey king eats peaches here
In the arms of clouds.
