Walking the Bagua circle,
I move like a snake
Slithering on patchy grass
Or a path etched by other warriors
On dry soil, as they are
Space holders and guardians
Of the world in this vortex,
This circle of yin and yang.
But uphill
On walnuts
With a weak leg,
I stumble.
Why can’t –
This way –
Be easier!
Why can’t it be smoother!
The walnuts underfoot are like boulders
Throwing me off the path.
I step forward, and
Grip the soil with all my weight
On that leg.
I bring up the back foot
Without it leaving the ground,
The toes turned in
To throw off my opponent with
No lifting of the toes or heel.
This is to be a surprise attack,
My snake step is to be swift
And smooth,
Securing my position in battle
As I throw the offender
Off balance into the tree.
Unless –
I am going uphill –
On walnuts-
with a weak leg.
Is this how it always is
For the aging warrior –
The bramble,
The rocky soil,
The clumps of weeds,
The dips and potholes –
My true opponents,
grabbing me and throwing me
Off balance to the ground?
No one can hear my stealthy step
But for the sound of my grinding hip!
Can I expect the way to battle
To be paved asphalt or even
Polished wood?
That is no way to train
Regardless of age.
The snake knows how to
Maneuver uphill on walnuts
And isn’t concerned about
An old weak leg.
(My teacher, Dan Miller, consoled me with his humor one day. No matter how well we cleared away the walnuts and obstacles on the Bagua circle, I felt challenged on my path. So he helped me laugh by saying, ‘uphill on walnuts on a weak leg’.)
Image Wording and Poem: ©Barbara Harris Leonhard @extraordinarysunshineweaver.com
Image: Sun Lutang
