Completed Tai Chi this morning. Today’s poem has been begun (is that a tense?) but not finished. The movement is Grab Needle from the Sea Bottom, which involves this squatting movement or crunch at the end of Brush Knee With Twist Step 2. I feel as though I haven’t adequately explained the movement of Brush Knee in the last poem, but I also don’t know if I should add in another poem here to cover the last divots of movement. Decisions, decisions. Hmmm.
The begun-poem:
Circle left hand clockwise until it rests
lightly on the wrist of the right hand; then
extend that force and diligently press
your weight through that channel. Be surprised when
your right knee buckles: but let it convey
your thumb and forefinger down to the floor.
Don’t make mistakes: first listen, then obey
how far your mass sinks; go that far, no more
nor drive your body farther than it goes.
Pick up the needle and then smoothly rise:
Allow each muscle to do what it knows,
and a little more. As dozens of tries
you collect, your muscles will learn this move —
and in time its perfection you will prove.
Not happy with this one. It took too long to write, and it was too challenging to explain even after a couple dozen repetitions of the movement. Oh, well.
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