Poem: "Dragon Tiger Wind Cloud"

[ysabetwordsmith]

This poem came out of the April 3, 2012 Poetry Fishbowl.  It was inspired by the_vulture, who wanted to read about kung fu robots.  Now the thing about martial arts is, they aren't just about fighting.  If you're programming super-soldiers, that might be considered a problem...

Thanks to marina_bonomi for turning me on to the kung fu flute.  I was particularly charmed by

Comments

[marina_bonomi]

'One was painting a tiger on its forearm
to match the dragon that was already almost dry.'

It may sound silly, but this is giving me the shivers from childhood memories about a beloved TV character I would have wanted in the family.
Does any one of them play the bamboo flute?

[the_vulture]

Kwai Chang Caine?

Well...

[ysabetwordsmith]

It's funny, I've never seen more than snippets of that show, but it's so much a part of certain cultural layers that I've picked up some of the resonance anyhow.

And I've added the flute-playing robot above.

Re: Well...

[the_vulture]

Interestingly, I've never seen much of the show, either, but still so much of it has found its way into common modern Western usage.

[marina_bonomi]

Of course, Grasshopper. ;-)

[the_vulture]

Am I to take the pebble from your hand? :)

[marina_bonomi]

I doubt I could even qualify as a floor sweeper in the shaolin temple...

[the_vulture]

You'd probably be shown a very precise method of sweeping that, if applied using a staff to the ankles of your foe, would result in a simple, but effective sweeping trip. (That's just a guess, on my part, based on what I know of staff work. :P )

[marina_bonomi]

Very likely, a broom can work fairly well as a pang. Besides it wouldn't surprise me in such a place to discover that the old man sweeping the courtyard is the most skilled master (but the only thing that I 'almost' have in common with a 'Kung Fu' character is that I'm blind as a bat).

[the_vulture]

I'm not so hot without my glasses, either (though I often train without them (especially when training involves mat work or tumbling)).

[marina_bonomi]

When my ophtalmologist learned I was practicing gongfu he blanched, it appears I am at high risk of retinal detachment.
I was forced to stop and still miss it.

[the_vulture]

Oh, THAT sucks!

Taiqi?

[marina_bonomi]

I tried, but...my real love was gongfu.
Besides the hubby was still taking lessons and the taiqi class was after the shaolin gongfu one, waiting there seeing my school-brethren practice was more than I could take.

[the_vulture]

Perhaps studying TaiqiCHUAN? Elsewhere?

(And how how high of risk are you? I can see an issue if there was sparring, tumbling, or other form of vigorous contact, but, say, doing forms?)

*sympathetic hugs*

[marina_bonomi]

Well, doing forms is just half of it, we had just started the dao when I left (I don't know if our school names are the same for you, dao is practicing the forms in pair), doing just the lu (form practice working alone) was like...walking around with a foot in a bucket (I did it for a couple of weeks, I had my diagnosis a short time before my gongfu exams)

Doc said that a sudden movement could be trigger enough,it seems that my eyes are way longer than the norm and the retina is stretched very thin. Ah, well, I can always be a monk in RPGs.

Thanks for the hugs,I really appreciate the sympathy.

[the_vulture]

:'( It is really sad that you are denied such a great passion. RPGing a monk doesn't really provide any where near the same satisfaction, but I will get to work straight away on the Big Trouble in Little China PBeM game so at least there will be more opportunity for you do so. *more hugs*

I'm not sure what we call them, but we do two person sets, as well (though I'm not advanced enough for those, yet).