Male

Attempt to be authentic, humble, passionate, compassionate, alert, spiritual. Loyal and true friend, reliable, resourceful, determined, trustworthy.

Clenched Soul

We have lost even this twilight.
No one saw us this evening hand in hand
while the blue night dropped on the world.

I have seen from my window
the fiesta of sunset in the distant mountain tops.

Sometimes a piece of sun
burned like a coin in my hand.

I remembered you with my soul clenched
in that sadness of mine that you know.

Where were you then?
Who else was there?
Saying what?
Why will the whole of love come on me suddenly
when I am sad and feel you are far away?

The book fell that always closed at twilight
and my blue sweater rolled like a hurt dog at my feet.

Always, always you recede through the evenings
toward the twilight erasing statues.

Pablo Neruda

___________

LAO TSU - TAO TE CHING

A truly good man is not aware of his goodness, 
And is therefore good.
A foolish man tries to be good. 
And is therefore not good. 



A truly good man does nothing 
Yet leaves nothing undone.
A foolish man is always doing, 
Yet much remains to be done. 



When a truly kind man does something, he leaves nothing undone.
When a just man does something, he leaves a great deal to be done.

When a disciplinarian does something and no one responds, 
He rolls up his sleeves in an attempt to enforce order. 

Therefore when Tao is lost, there is goodness. 
When goodness is lost, there is kindness. 
When kindness is lost, there is justice. 
When justice is lost, there is ritual.

Now ritual is the husk of faith and loyalty, the beginning of confusion. 
Knowledge of the future is only a flowery trapping of Tao.
It is the beginning of folly. 

Therefore the truly great man dwells on what is real 
and not what is on the surface, 
On the fruit and not the flower. 
Therefore accept the one and reject the other. 



--translated by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English