The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, by Chen Hongshou (1598-1652).
Handscroll, ink and color on silk.
The Bamboo Grove
bright dark
midsummer dusk
warm nestled doves coo peace
red-tailed hawk spreads her wings for home
to rest
grove with
green-walled bamboo
calls its thirsty dreamers
careful steppers in patterned robes
to grace
dry leaf
litter cushions
beg poets to enter
from paths worn from their sleeping homes
gather
comfort
freedom to be
no titles, tasks, masters
to sit, laugh, raise a glass to toast
to life
etched in
cane memory
of word, wine, and singing
glory days when we are tranced with
the moon
bright dark’s
green-walled bamboo
beg poets to enter
to sit, laugh, raise a glass to toast
the moon
Before Tao-Talk here at Word Press, there was alt.philosophy.taoism, then Tao Talk at dejanews, then moved to yahoo groups. When yahoo groups said they were ending, I looked for a place to “move the capital.” At each of these places gathered a group in the bamboo grove. This poem is dedicated to those people.
I see WordPress as a much larger country, with poets having a special place here. This poem is dedicated to you also.
In Chinese mythology are The Seven Sages of The Bamboo Grove. Please google them if you want to learn more about who they were.
Garland cinquain forms a titled series of six cinquains in which the last stanza is formed from lines from the preceding five, typically line one from stanza one, line two from stanza two, and so on.
Dora was Tuesday’s host of dVerse’ Poetics. Dora says:
Our Poetics challenge is to write a poem, as Dove was commissioned to do, for a walled entrance that addresses and welcomes visitors into a space of your choosing.
I am writing to Dora’s prompt but also linking up with Open Link Night, where Sanaa is hosting tonight as well as hosting the LIVE dVerse on Saturday, February 16, at 10a.m. EST.
Tao Talk 
thanks, Lisa! I loved your poem! You did a terrific job! <3
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<3 Thanks!
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“freedom to be
no titles, tasks, masters” I gotta write that one down. Oh wait you already did, dam(good)!
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Randy, thank you <3
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This is excellent
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Kim, thank you <3
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This is incredibly gorgeous and rich in imagery, Lisa! ❤️❤️❤️
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Thanks much, Sanaa <3
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I like the way you envision this space–it’s sort of like a dream-space to me.
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It’s like Chuang Tzu’s Butterfly Dream, where he wasn’t sure if he was dreaming he was a butterfly or he was a butterfly dreaming of being Chuang Tzu. Thanks, Merril.
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You’re welcome, Lisa.
Yes, exactly that.
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So many wonderful images…I really like “thirsty dreamers”. You have conjured a space for them. (K)
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Kerfe, thank you so much.
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A wonderful poem, Lisa, of words etched into dark bright bamboo! Very well done.
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Dwight, so happy you enjoyed the poem. Thank you.
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You always come up with the creative pieces! Keep up the good work!
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I love a space of dry leaf litter cushions where poets meet. Sounds wonderful. I very much loved this…etched in
cane memory
of word, wine, and singing
glory days when we are one with
the moon
This reminds me of a poem I wrote about being in my cork diorama. Took me back to that feeling of calm. I will be reading about the seven sages of the bamboo grove for sure thank you Lisa!
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Di, so glad you connected with the poem and it took you to a memory in one of yours. Thank you and you’re welcome.
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Well. I loved your poem. Who couldn’t embrace lines like “word, win and singing”? I feel like you encapsulated my 30s and 40s with a young child and other mothers in that simple phrase. But also, on a “whole ‘nother” level, your comment about the community rings true: “I see WordPress as a much larger country, with poets having a special place here. This poem is dedicated to you also.” I feel the same, a sense of freedom that comes from having found my poetry tribe.
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Many thanks, Kim <3
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I like this line…. no titles, tasks, masters to sit, laugh, raise a glass to toast… you are very good at coming up with these.
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Max, the raising a toast to the moon is what the old sages used to do in the grove. At least that’s how we characterized them in the original groups. That part isn’t original to me. The top part is mine. Thank you <3
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Well you make things like that work…which is really cool.
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:)
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A beautiful place to be in. Loved the atmosphere you’ve created Li. Our community on WP is just amazing and so inclusive.
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<3<3<3
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🩷🩷🩷
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Beautiful writing, I loved this part especially : “dry leaf
litter cushions
beg poets to enter
from paths worn from their sleeping homes
gather”, and looking forward to reading and learning more about your inspirations.
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So happy you enjoyed that part :)
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Thank you for taking me to such a wonderful place… I would enter with a poem on my sleeve.
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My pleasure and would love to see you there, toasting to the moon.
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What a lovely space you describe here, Lisa, for thirsty dreamers, how the bright dark begs poets to enter and raise a glass to the moon! Beautiful, I hope I get an invite! :-)
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All Poets Welcome! Cheers, Sunra!
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What a beautiful space you’ve conjured for poets. A toast! To our host!
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Thank you so much, D. Cheers! <3
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I would surely like to find my way into that sacred space Lisa…
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Andrew, as you are a poet, you already are! <3 Nice to see you at the LIVE reading and hear you read your poem on love.
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As always Lisa, you elevate ‘form use’ to higher and higher levels. This is beautiful, serene, in a realm all its own … our family’s life this week has been impacted by a young mother’s touch with near death / five surgeries / a mini stroke / finally emerging yesterday from a coma like state ~~~ I am embracing this line of yours today “to sit, laugh, raise a glass to toast to life.”
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Oh no, Helen on the young mother in your family! Thank GOoDness she is ok now <3 Raising a glass with you. Cheers, my friend!
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Lovely scene!
Priscilla King
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Thank you, Priscilla :)
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Simply wonderful, Lisa, I thoroughly enjoyed it!
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Thanks, Dora :)
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This is a dreamlike sacred space! Li, beautifully expressed. ❤️
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Thank you very much, Punam. I read this one at the live event Saturday :)
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My pleasure. Oh, I missed joining in to listen. Will not miss next time .
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Good! Not sure if you saw that Bjorn added the youtube recording of it to thursdays prompt post.
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I will surely check it out. Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
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:)
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To the moon.🥂
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Cheers!
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