Zhuangzi Dreaming of a Butterfly by Lu Zhi (1496–1576), Ming dynasty, mid-16th century Ink on silk, 29.4 x 51.4 cm
THE TRANSFORMATION OF THINGS
by
Jamie Dedes
A Man sleeping … yes!
A Butterfly flitting… yes!
Zhuangzi, dreamer of Butterfly,
ponders what joy there might be
in that tiny Butterfly brain, so small
too small to be perceived by I or eye
Is it dreaming me? he asks
Or, am I dreaming it?
Imagine the Universe engaged,
he thinks to himself, inside that flutter
– thunder, a Cosmic Belly Laugh – Ho! Ho! –
Then Zhuangzi knows: He is silent
flitting from flower to flower in eternal spring
coming and going, going and coming
This is called the Transformation of Things
·
© poem, 2012 Jamie Dedes, All rights reserved
Photograph courtesy of Gemeinfrei, in the U.S. public domain.
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Yes, yes it is.
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What a wonderful perspective, Jamie!
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Love this, Jamie. You really crawled inside this one, it seems. My favorite lines:
“Imagine the Universe engaged,
he thinks to himself, inside that flutter ”
Oh, I share that! The Universe that lives within each breath we take…
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