Philosopher By Moonlight
(A quadrille)
Life is a crinkle in the matrix
lapping at my edges while
ghosts browse the tombstones
eating names. Night covers me
with her firefly illusion
and her singing moon.
At daybreak we fold
like painted fans
of Shaolin warriors, all
landscapes
and paper-covered blades.
May 2022
posted for dVerse Poets
Process Note The Steel or Iron Fan: The Chinese have a saying regarding weapons, “The shorter it is – the
more dangerous. The more ordinary looking, the deadlier it is.”...The steel fan is ...easy to carry and
is inconspicuous. When the weather is warm, you can use the fan to cool
yourself and chase the flies away. When you are in danger, you can use
the steel fan as an effective weapon for self-defense because the ribs
are made of steel...The fan is considered an “internal” weapon, because it uses the “soft”
to overcome the “hard” and the short to overcome the long...”
Images: Philospher Illuminated by the Light of the Moon and Setting Sun, 1939 © Salvador Dali
Fair Use
Shaolin Iron Fan, artist unknown, via internet Fair Use
