TAPOTI - Summer 1933

Red, orange, yellow, green,
blue, violet, indigo:
Who is dancing with these
rainbow colours in the sky?
Air after rain, slanting sun:
mountains and passes turning blue
in each changing moment.
Fierce battles that year:
bullet holes in village walls.
These mountains so decorated,
look even more beautiful today.

THE LONG MARCH - Oct 1935

The Red Army fears not the trials of the March,
Holding light ten thousand crags and torrents.
The Five Ridges wind like gentle ripples
And the majestic Wumeng roll by, globules of clay.
Warm the steep cliffs lapped by the waters of Golden Sand,
Cold the iron chains spanning the Tatu River.
Minshan's thousand li of snow joyously crossed,
The three Armies march on, each face glowing.

WINTER CLOUDS - Dec 26, 1962

Winter clouds snow-laden, cotton fluff flying,
None or few the unfallen flowers.
Chill waves sweep through steep skies,
Yet earth's gentle breath grows warm.
Only heroes can quell tigers and leopards
And wild bears never daunt the brave.
Plum blossoms welcome the whirling snow;
Small wonder flies freeze and perish.

MAO ZEDONG 毛澤東 (1893-1976)
(Mao Tse-tung, Mao Dedong)

The most powerful revolutionary and politician of twentieth century,  he was strongly influenced by Li Dazhao and Chen Duxiu, who were to become Communist leaders. A Chinese military and political leader, who led the Communist Party of China (CPC), Mao was present in Shanghai in 1921, at the founding of the Chinese Communist Party, and he was engaged in the 1927 peasant uprisings in Hunan. Mao was the leader of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) from its establishment in 1949 until his death in 1976.

Regarded as one of the most important figures in modern world history, Mao is still a controversial figure today. He is held in high regard in China where he is often portrayed as a great revolutionary and strategist, and transformed the country into a major power through his policies.  However, many of Mao's socio-political programs are blamed by critics from both within and outside China for causing severe damage to the culture, society, economy and foreign relations of China, as well as enormous and unnecessary loss of lives, a peacetime death toll in the tens of millions.

Mao is also recognized as a poet and calligrapher. Its content is heroic, visionary, revolutionary and it dramatizes the historical events that led to the new Republic. Mao stated that literature is always political, and that its true purpose should be to fire the masses with revolutionary fervor, to celebrate revolution and the people (not the subjective consciousness of the author), and should be judged on utilitarian grounds.  This was the basis for the Chinese development of Social Realist literature, and was the authority upon which writers who didn't fit the revolutionary model were criticized, censored, or worse.

[ .in.segments.we've.found.you.lounging.in.your.skin. ]

searing in the echoes
as you turn your head again
not meant for sleeping
empty shallow thoughts
run their course
coursing through
vein and valve

shadows dare
lingering here
as the a.m. passes on
and the hands that reach
have no fingers left
to graze your blurry skin

their sounds are shapes
of words won over
cutting clearly
the building tension
running through ligaments
the lines splayed out
off at odd angles
closer here
breath on bare cheeks

exhaustion is our expectation
in the nine to five lives
that we're running from
still in segments we've found you
lounging in your skin
the unnerving engines
of your lackluster passion
no heat filling rooms
that you filed silently from

© B McLean Dec 24, 2007
excerpt from x days

[ words : the universe in a single atom~Dalai Lama] 
[ sound : nizlopi, the.fray]

" 'coz I need some one to, really give myself up to, and you want it too, our hearts are open but,
are rarely spoken to by anyone, that language frightens them,
'coz tho I miss you, when I kiss you, we rarely let go,
and I want to go, off to that feeling, off to the ceiling,
whats this hour in, where we only just begin?"
~l.concannon

I was remembering some time ago, when you start to have a realization of yourself, your being, your ego.. I was developing a spiritual understanding. I've often had visions, its something that has helped me make many decisions in life (I get clouded and confused like everyone else and just as often as anyone), but those visions seemed to be leading me to be some kind of spiritual leader.

Over time however, I've discovered that to be untrue.  Its not that I'm incapable. Its just that I have a better understanding and a better perception regarding what that means. In our daily lives we are all spiritual leaders. The actions we take, the decisions we make moment to moment, these things not only define our true being, but give us continual opportunities to "pratice living". We must be involved to truely be alive.

Its easy to 'want' to live with compassion and mindfulness, but can we do it moment to moment?

It sounds simple, but in pratice its often more difficult with out some persistent training. We have to be on alert at every moment. Western society raises us with good internal values, I'll complain about it often, I know, however, we need to consider how we preceive everything, yet internal values can only lead us so far. If we believe we are independant, unconnected, then we have lost our way and we need to find our way back.

Often we fail to see beauty, even when it surrounds us. The experiences we have seem dulled somehow and the mystery of living has been taken away from us. I cannot understand how anyone could no longer believe in magic, when we are in its constant presence and dynamic motion. The universe is a mechanism of art and splendor, and even at a base level, our day to day lives are lost in wonder and are immersed in constant change.

+lost.laine+

Winter Solstice
Friday Dec 21, 2007 11:08 P.M. MST / Saturday Dec 22, 2007 1:08 A.M.EST
marks the solstice — the beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and summer in the Southern Hemisphere

In astronomy, the solstice is either of the two times a year when the Sun is at its greatest distance from the celestial equator, the great circle on the celestial sphere that is on the same plane as the earth's equator. In the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice occurs either December 21 or 22, when the sun shines directly over the tropic of Capricorn; the summer solstice occurs either June 21 or 22, when the sun shines directly over the tropic of Cancer. In the Southern Hemisphere, the winter and summer solstices are reversed.

Reason for the Seasons
The reason for the different seasons at opposite times of the year in the two hemispheres is that while the earth rotates about the sun, it also spins on its axis, which is tilted some 23.5 degrees towards the plane of its rotation. Because of this tilt, the Northern Hemisphere receives less direct sunlight (creating winter) while the Southern Hemisphere receives more direct sunlight (creating summer). As the Earth continues its orbit the hemisphere that is angled closest to the sun changes and the seasons are reversed.

Longest Night of the Year
The winter solstice marks the shortest day and the longest night of the year. The sun appears at its lowest point in the sky, and its noontime elevation appears to be the same for several days before and after the solstice. Hence the origin of the word solstice, which comes from Latin solstitium, from sol, “sun” and -stitium, “a stoppage.” Following the winter solstice, the days begin to grow longer and the nights shorter.

I've added a comment on assorted spiritual beliefs this time of year as well...

[ words : the universe in a single atom~Dalai Lama] 
[ sound : bach, tyler & badelt ]

" so this is what they call another endless nite
so tired of believing, if this is wrong or right
I think this cause is lost, I wish that I could sleep
I feel like some kind of shadow, another slave to the week"

I was watching "SiCKO" with Minou last nite, its another Michael Moore documentary, this time on the american health industry and global health care, which I would say is his best work to date. I may not always agree with some of his points, but seldom is he off the mark about how we even preceive what we are told life should be and what is in fact happening on a daily basis. In his conclusions, he made a statement regarding, As long as we look out for 'Me' instead of 'We', we will have a hard road a head of us in order to find a better way of living and caring.

I was discussing recently with a friend & co-worker whom is a Minister in a local church, about Unity and Community, about how our canadian education system and government continues to structure our society into complacenty, (worse so with our brothers to the south) where it dictates and puts grand emphasis on being an Individual and to keep the status-quo by keeping this Mentality in play, so that we cannot form a 'Peoples Unity', one that expects the Government to work for 'All of Us', so that truely, no one is left behind... Instead of living in Fear of our government & authorities.

We are brothers in the same nation, we claim we want what is best for everyone, yet we often turn a blind eye to those in need. Even on a daliy basis of some basic compassion for someone we know or work with.. we look out for ourselves because we've grown up with the expectation that "No One is going to look out for us."

As a point I have made in the past about the need to be spritual and finding truth in our daily lives, we cannot live without certain essentials, but often I state that I do not agree with organized religion, at its core often the fundamentals are valid, but many times over we get lost in the dictation of scripture, rules, and codes that do not challenge us to become a better person in the world, but to do for yourself and do what you are expected to based on lessons that have become misguided and corrupt over centuries or even millennia.

One of the recent books I finished, discusses physics in reality and our relations to spirituality through different forms of study... so this excerpt I pulled is an example of the points I have made before.

Its something to consider in conjunction with who "we" are.

------------------------- -------------------------
Matthieu Ricard, excerpt form The Quantum and The Lotus:

As the Dalai Lama has said, over half of the worlds' population are non-believers. Many saythat they are Cahtolics, Protestants, Hindus, or Muslims because they were brought up in those traditions. But when faced by daily crises, or the great decisions in their lives, they don't really take the teachings of their religion into account. Only a minority now think and act in accordance with their faith.

So we must distinguish between spirituality in general terms, which aims to make us better people, and religion. Adopting a religion remains optional, but becoming a better human being is essential. That's why the Dalai Lama speaks of "secular spirituality," even thought this concept may shock representitives of other religions. To his mind, we can't exclude half of humanity from spirituality for the simple reason that they aren't religious believers. From the day we were born until we die, we need both to give and receive tenderness and goodness. When the great religions and spiritual traditions are practiced correctly, then they can help people to develop love, compassion, patience, and tolerance. But those who don't feel any religious inclinations shouldn't be excluded from this process.
------------------------- -------------------------

Another friend of mine back in ontario has works with early teenage boys in halfway houses and specialty programs. She has seen on a yearly basis the growing opinion " the world owes ME something," signs that they do not see that they have choices, that they can make decisions for themselves and be a part of community just by being 'there' in the now. She often teaches by doing, and having a youth come to that realization that they have a 'choice' in life, it can be very transformitative. but its a long way from getting past socitey and governmental control .... our need to share our experiences, to teach others what they can become, and how we are stronger in numbers. Anger, hatred, jealously are all things that we emotionally must work passed, especially when 'everyone out there' is looking out for number one.

Just to lean back on SiCKO for another point, Moore was pointing out that a campaign by the Clinton Administration over ten years ago, was attempting to create a Reform on their health care industry. But clearly due to greed and the need to look out for number One, being the profits that corportations generate and those they directly employ in the upper escaleons, blew out any attempt at reform, with enough propaganda they pushed against 'socialist' medical care and that socialism remains an evil in the world.. something I thought died off in american history in the forties to eighties.

But great countries like Canada (thanks to Tommy Douglas who brought Socialist Medicine into Provinces with Woodrow Lloyd in 1962 and eventually Federal care in 1966), also the UK, France, and even the one of the poorest countries in the world, Cuba, all share in giving this type of Universal Health Care, without billing for it, Nor marking up pharmaceuticals from a base cost of five cents to over one-hundred and twenty dollars or mark ing up treatments and denying insurance claims. Too much corruption has claimed more lives and the opportunity for better living... all in the evil vain to prevent universal health care.

I've ranted enough on this today, but the validity of 'ME must become WE' going forward in the next millennium, is inescapable if we are going to surrvive and become compassinate beings. I have other points about corruption, capatilism, distopian futures based around the direction of WE, but I'll let that go for now.

"you must become the change 
you wish to see in the world"
~m.gandhi

in sincerity,
all my best
+lost.laine+