I often do tai chi in a far field
In a place where no one sees me.
The field overlooks a forest
Where a young man took his life.
I move as if underwater,
Shaping my chi Into a ball
Which I offer to the sun.
The sun smiles
When I do my tai chi,
Holds me in its gaze
While I move as gracefully
As an old man might,
Pushing and pulling
Strands of the quantum flux.
Sometimes I imagine
The spirit of that young man watching me
From the trees.
After my tai chi
I turn to a pile of imaginary spears at my feet.
I go through the motions
Of throwing spear after spear,
Each spear
Javelining through space.
When I have thrown my spears
I bless the place
And walk the long way home.
(Article changed on Oct 21, 2025 at 6:34 PM EDT)