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<blogEntries>
<blogEntry id="4845">
	<title><![CDATA[Thanatos and Eros]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Thanatos and Eros[/B]


I man the broken
Barricades of civilization
Three tours now
God I am weary!
The enemy has no mercy
Suicide bombers
Vie for paradise
We fight and fight
A damn PC-war
For love and country and gods
And corporate greed

Thanatos and eros
Compete while ghosts weep
I hang between earth and sky
In an imposed limbo 
To face the truth
Is to embrace death
As all must under heaven
Yet, all I really think about
Is your sweet face
Will I ever go home again
And feel your touch?


:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>05-12-2013</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4841">
	<title><![CDATA[Time to Mourn]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Time to Mourn[/B]



After the storm
After the battle
Taking time to mourn
And weep, if necessary,
For comrades fallen
In honorable combat
Is a warrior's right
And need

But, once done
Life moves on
Do not weep at
The memory of battles
Old and new
For they are the
Fire which can bring
Abiding joy and pride

Make peace with
Memories of 
Clashes and conflict
And trials of
Death survived
But, peace it must be
Or time remains frozen
And healing denied


:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>05-05-2013</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4840">
	<title><![CDATA[Home from the Wars]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Home from the Wars[/B]



Our warriors go forth
Upon our bidding
Duty bound
And come back scarred
And sometimes maimed
From battles fought
And comrades lost
In honorable combat
Pariahs or heroes
Their fates we decide

We can circle 
The ancient campfire
And embrace our brethren
Home from the wars
Recognizing there is honor
If we honor them
Recognizing there is glory
If we glorify them
And that we can multiply the joy
And share the pain, of each

This is [I]our [/I]duty


:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>04-28-2013</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4827">
	<title><![CDATA[Battle-Crap]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Battle-Crap[/B]



After the battle-crap
And the terror-piss
After the fighting 
Has ended

After the shock
And exhaustion
Has passed
And slow recovery begins

Then I can 
Drink my beer
Tell my war stories
And all my lies

And most definitely
Not mention
My terror-piss
Or, my battle-crap


:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>04-21-2013</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4815">
	<title><![CDATA[Scoop Up the Moon]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Scoop Up the Moon[/B]



Over and over
I scoop up the moon 
On the water

Only to see it slip
Through my fingers
Again and again


:circle: 

www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>04-14-2013</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4804">
	<title><![CDATA[Down and Out in Oak Park]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Down and Out in Oak Park[/B]



He walks the streets of Oak Park
Tall, gaunt, stoop-shouldered, old, and gray
I sit by the window of the coffee shop
Watching him walk on by

Even in warm weather he wears
A long coat, with layers underneath
At first, I thought he was just a 
Regular, eccentric Oak Park resident

Since he was carrying grocery bags
One of which was from a local store
As I saw him more and more often
I realized he wore the same clothes

And carried the same bags each time
Down and out in Oak Park, I thought
Poverty I can understand
I've been there before, myself

Perhaps I will be there again, someday
It seems different somehow
When you see it in an affluent suburb
One poor, lonely, homeless, old man

Walking the streets
Surrounded by success and wealth
I have no answer as I sip my coffee
Sitting there thinking: what would

Buddha do?  What would O'Sensei do?
What would Jesus or Karl Marx do?
What would Superman do?
I sit there….



:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>04-07-2013</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4791">
	<title><![CDATA[Falling Leaves]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Falling Leaves[/B]



Do falling leaves
And swirling petals
Resent the wind?

Does the wind resent
The butterfly flitting
In its breezes?

Does the sun resent
The earth for soaking 
Up its warmth?

Does the earth resent
The volcano for breaching
Its boundaries?

Does the moon resent
The still lake
For reflecting its image?

Does the mat resent
The Aikidoka for
Repeatedly slapping it?

Do the Aikidoka resent
Each other for
Constantly attempting union?


:circle: 

www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>03-31-2013</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4778">
	<title><![CDATA[Traverse City Blues]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Traverse City Blues[/B]



Sitting in a coffee shop
Sipping my coffee
In Traverse City, Michigan
A business trip
Feeling the solitude 
Of lonely travel
The music in 
The background
Playing [I]Hallelujah[/I]
Seeming to fit, somehow:
Forlorn, melancholic
Sorrowfully uplifting
Not quite the Zen 
Detachment I was looking for
More like self-pity (miss you)

No Aikido practice tonight
Just reading journals
And writing reports
Preparing for morning meetings
My body missing the 
Physical activity, the
Sweat and effort of
Being nage and uke
My mind the moving Zen
Perhaps, one day, I'll
Be able to take it 
All off the mat and be
Capable of doing my Aikido
Sitting in a coffee shop
Sipping my coffee


:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>03-24-2013</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4766">
	<title><![CDATA[Hishiryo]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Hishiryo[/B]



Thought beyond
Ordinary thought

Not too much
Not too little

A balanced unity
But, I struggle

Even the zafu
Gets hard, eventually


:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>03-17-2013</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4744">
	<title><![CDATA[Fractal Aikido]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Fractal Aikido[/B]



Fractal Aikido
Practice after practice
Technique after technique
Iteration after iteration
Pattern after pattern

Set by the initial condition
Of each attack
Nage and uke move
Infinitely self-similar
Fragments of the whole

Nage, uke, strange attractors
Revolving around each other
Hunting for a common center
A dynamical system
Creating a symmetry

With nage and uke
Uke and nage
Repeating through time
Again and again
Swirls upon swirls

Seeking wholeness
To unit body and spirit
But achieving only 
Rough approximations
Of the ideal, repeating


:circle: 

www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>03-10-2013</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4737">
	<title><![CDATA[Living in the Now]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Living in the Now[/B]



Living in 
The Now
Is different
Than living for 
The moment

One will enhance
Your perceptions
The other
Will land you
In jail!


:circle: 

www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>03-03-2013</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4733">
	<title><![CDATA[Shiva's Dance]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Shiva's Dance[/B]



In Aikido, I learn
Technique after technique
As nage, as uke
Moving, flowing
Throwing, being thrown
Pinning, being pinned
Practice after practice
Year after year
My very own Shiva's dance
Creation and destruction
Trying to dispel my
Ignorance, my laziness
And my evil thoughts
All under the guise
Of a martial art
Seeking the flame
Of wisdom and direction
Attempting to overcome
Personal limitations
By sweat and effort
And pain and humility 
On and off the mat
Seeking unity by
Embracing and refining
Repetitive strategies 
To discover something new


:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>02-24-2013</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4726">
	<title><![CDATA[Butt Up!]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Butt Up![/B]



In the pond
The upside-down 
Duck

In order to feed
It must expose its butt
To the universe

An odd way
To survive and thrive
Yet it does, somehow

Head down, butt up
Is there a message
Here, somewhere?


:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>02-17-2013</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4713">
	<title><![CDATA[True Self]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]True Self[/B]



Sitting in zazen
Thinking of not thinking
Quiet, still, calm, going deep
The room, my zafu
All there, but gone

Sensing the oscillations of
Vibrating strands of energy
God's stringed instrument
Aligning with my own
A music that needs

No interpretation
A silent, private kototama
Resonating powerfully
With my true self
Becoming one


:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>02-10-2013</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4708">
	<title><![CDATA[The Poem]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]The Poem[/B]



The poem must be
Empty, pure perception
Each word necessary
Creating the mood with
Simplicity, depth, and silence

Silence that seeps around the edges 
Words conveying the meaning
A meaning once found
Forgetting the words
Comes naturally

Each word resonating
In the emptiness
Of the white page
The emptiness of wholeness
From which the words emerge

Like emergents from
The quantum sea
Seeking their own meaning
From a perfect mind
Reading already forgotten words


:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>02-03-2013</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4706">
	<title><![CDATA[Moonglow]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Moonglow[/B]



A spangled sky
With a full moon
Honoring the night
Illuminating my 
Shadow companion
And me as we 
Absorb the glow
And discuss the nature
Of the sutras
And the character
Of falling leaves

I learn about the night
From the night
I learn about the moon
From the moon
While my shadow 
And I reach an
Agreement on nothing
As the moon sets
Quietness slowly settles
And I hear
The roaring silence


:circle: 

www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>01-27-2013</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4703">
	<title><![CDATA[Basho]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Basho[/B]


Sitting in a Tim Hortons
In Chillicothe, Ohio
Sipping my coffee
Reading haiku by Basho,
Buson, and Issa

The neon lights
Of a McDonald's
Across Bridge Street
Occluded occasionally
By passing cars

Locals sitting around me
Coming and going
Discussing local stuff
Unless one visits such places
They are hard to describe


:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>01-20-2013</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4700">
	<title><![CDATA[Face of Death]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Face of Death[/B]



In the face of death
We are speechless
Speechless with fear

But need we be?
The great unity of death
Binds us all

Yet death is simple
Perhaps it is life
That we fear?

The fear of failure
And disappointment
The pain and suffering

Of life and living
The difficult things
Expected of us

Before we die
Courage, strength, 
Sacrifice, endurance

Perhaps the 
Way of the Warrior
Or, maybe, better said as:

The Spirit of the Warrior --
Budo, is the answer
A way to live life

That prepares us for death
And at that final moment
Gives us a voice


:circle: 



www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>01-13-2013</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4695">
	<title><![CDATA[Blade's Edge]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Blade's Edge[/B]


The flowers blossom
In the spring
The leaves wither
In the fall

Balancing on
My sword's edge
The blade sharp
Clear and invisible

I navigate through
Ten thousand things
Without thought
Or movement


:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>01-06-2013</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4685">
	<title><![CDATA[Shogatsu]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Shogatsu[/B]


It is hard to miss
The toll of the bells
Though I gotta admit
I tend to lose count
Does this mean my prior
Year's sins are not forgiven?
Best I can do is not
Choke on my mochi
After all that sake
And sweet amazake
The night before on 
Omisoka - New Year's Eve
Still my first sunrise --
Hatsuhinode, should be 
Something, as should be
Hatsugeiko -- my first
Aikido practice later that day
Traditionally, we usually toss
Each other 108 times, though I 
Tend to lose count here too
Guess I'm destined to carry
My sins forward, as usual


:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>12-30-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4681">
	<title><![CDATA[A Martial Art]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]A [I]Martial [/I]Art[/B]



A martial art
Without the annoying
[I]Martial[/I] part
Now there is an 
Art that can
Be appreciated!
Still, it feels good
Not to call it
Just a dance
But, a [I]martial [/I]art!

Love and harmony
Now that sounds splendid!
So, when the 
Atemi comes
It comes as a surprise!
[I]Shit, was that
Supposed to happen?
It hurt, damnit![/I]
[I]This martial aspect
Needs further review![/I]


:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>12-23-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4678">
	<title><![CDATA[Soldiers Die First]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Soldiers Die First[/B]


We all die
But soldiers die first
Intervening their bodies
Into harm's way
A conscious decision
Made freely
Rough men and women
Guarding the reaches
So that all others
Can sleep in peace
We all die
But soldiers die first
Failure not an option
Maintaining their duty
Their purpose
With their comrades
To keep the child safe
The child of Man
The child of civilization
The spark of freedom
We all die
But soldiers die first

(But sometimes...)



I wrote this poem the night before the tragedy in Conn.  My focus was on our military safeguarding the outer borders of our country, including overseas duty, protecting our own, including our children.  It just never occurred to me that such an incomprehensible thing could happen here at home, in America.  The loss to the parents and families of all the victims is beyond me even to contemplate and fathom.  Obviously, soldiers do not always die first, though I think that any one of them would do so to have prevented this.  If there is any glimmer of light left here in all this blackness, let it provide some illumination and guidance.


:circle:]]></body>
	<date>12-16-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4676">
	<title><![CDATA[Vampire Aikido]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Vampire Aikido[/B]


You ever get
The idea
The thought
That most everyone 
Doing aikido today
Sucks?!  Bites?!
Just doing 
Vampire Aikido!
Including yourself
Oh, sure, you see
An occasional "star"
But even them
In the Octagon?
On an actual battlefield?
Who knows?
Despite years of practice
And training
Slow choreographed kata
"Cooperative" ukes
And some attempts at 
Martial realism...
But really....?
What is left?
Perhaps a little more
Applied [I]aiki[/I] would help?
Or...?



:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>12-09-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4673">
	<title><![CDATA[Shadow Fall]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Shadow Fall[/B]


Running with my shadow
Always by my side
I stumble and fall

My shadow keeps on running
Only then do I realize
That I am the shadow


:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>12-02-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4668">
	<title><![CDATA[Winter Winds]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Winter Winds[/B]



Winter winds
Blow early this year
Some trees already
Scoured bare of leaves
Stark skeletons
Reaching for cold light
Geese fly overhead
In formation, confused
Deciding on a direction
Time and season
Come and go

When I enter
The dojo is chilled
The air not yet warmed
By flying bodies
And the swish, slap, thud
And grunt of earnest effort
My bare feet cramp
On the cold mat
Heralding, probably
More discomfort to come
Presaging each practice

Bringing to mind
My recurring question
[I]Why?  Why am I here?[/I]
I think of my warm couch
Or, my hot latte (soon!)
But, here I am
Anxious to learn
What my body already knows
But has long forgotten
Lost, perhaps, long ago
On winter winds


:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>11-25-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4664">
	<title><![CDATA[Ontological Vertigo]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Ontological Vertigo[/B]


Sitting in zazen
Facing the mirror
Lights off
A single candle
In the background
Slowly flickering
Creating warped shadows
Old companions

The deeper I look
The less I see
And understand
Unable to find
My source
Ontological vertigo
Comes in waves
Making me 
Dizzy and lost

Within the darkness
I extend my senses
Inward and outward
Nothing - not even an echo
Only emptiness
Filled with blank confusion
My vertigo increases
Till I notice, slowly
That the candle flame
No longer burns alone


:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>11-18-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4661">
	<title><![CDATA[Shit and Bravado]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Shit and Bravado[/B]



Shit and bravado
How long does that last
When there is nothing left?
Still, it is something
Perhaps more politely called
[I]Esprit de corps[/I]
Pride, fellowship, and common loyalty
And perhaps devotion and love
To comrades-in-arms
To our brothers and sisters
To a cause

That is something to be feared
By would-be conquerors
A truth that lies between the lines
Of all the military training manuals

At Thermopylae, the Alamo, 
At Camarón, at Dien Bien Phu, 
Shiroyama, Pasir Panjang
Rorke's Drift, Bastogne
Mars Colony, Adrian's Star
What sustained such warriors
Cornered, trapped, outnumbered?
Except being full of 
"Shit and bravado"
Backed up by bombs, bullets, 
Blades, blood, and guts 


:circle: 

A VETERANS DAY SALUTE]]></body>
	<date>11-11-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4659">
	<title><![CDATA[I Stand]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]I Stand[/B]


I stand upon
The clear frozen lake

Waiting with
Infinite patience
Enthralled
As the stars expand
And the universe
Begins and begins
Unfolding out of
Its own past
An archeologist 
Of the now
Seeking understanding
Each moment receding
From where I am
Yet carrying me
Along with it

What will happen, though
When the ice melts?


:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>11-04-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4654">
	<title><![CDATA[Eyes]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Eyes[/B]


As the old adage says:
[I]"If you can see the enemy,
   the enemy can see you."[/I]
Good advice, if you have enemies
But who does not?
You?
Lucky you

Still, the universe is
A hostile place
And the future unfolds
Mysteriously
With unknown joy 
And pain

Be prepared, why not?
Seek understanding
And your martial art
Of choice
Enough?  We'll see
Sitting in zazen
I look into the Void
And see eyes 
Looking back


:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>10-28-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4650">
	<title><![CDATA[I Do]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]I Do[/B]



I stand in the center of the circle
Yes and no pursue each other
Around the circumference

Right and wrong, nage and uke
Technique and no-technique
From the still-point of the center

I see all possibilities
My whole being apprehending
Abandoning conscious intent

Mind free, thoughts gone
Moving from direct intuition
I do



:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>10-21-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4645">
	<title><![CDATA[The Zero Path]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]The Zero Path[/B]



Traveling down 
Sunless, bleak pathways
Full of tears, pain
And eventual weakness
Holds no answers

In aikido
We try to enter
The place where
Nothing works
Where (e)motion is

Effortless and harmonious
Taking us to
A life path
That can function
In the world

All of life's obstacles
Splendid opportunities
Seeking wu-wei -- non-action
In acceptance of what
Life offers

The Zero Path
Where Nothing
Is Something  
Empty yet substantial
At the same time

The Void where all reside
Crafting the quantum
Opportunities offered
That flow in and out
Of existence

Allowing us to navigate
Through myriad choices
Sometimes all too obscure
Clarifying a path
That allows us to see



:circle: 



www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>10-14-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4640">
	<title><![CDATA[Be the Technique]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Be the Technique[/B]


[I]Be the technique[/I]
So I was told
Many times
Over the years

Be the technique?
How the hell, I wondered
Am I supposed
To accomplish that?

Don't [I]perform[/I] 
The technique
[I]Be[/I] the technique!
Oh, yeah, that helps…

Does that mean
When I drink my beer
I should [I]be[/I] the beer?
Just wondering…


:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>10-07-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4633">
	<title><![CDATA[Hobo Kore Dojo]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B][I]Hobo Kore Dojo[/I][/B]



Your life is your dojo
Aikido beyond the mat
Where imbalance is rampant
Struggle and frustration
A way of life
Love and harmony
A constant effort
To strive for and achieve

But, if you can see it
Aikido is everywhere
Opportunities to blend
And flow and connect
A whole life
Of walls and barriers
To overcome or fall short

Falling down is not defeat
Take ukemi
And get back up
Falling down is natural
Not getting back up
Is defeat


:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>09-30-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4628">
	<title><![CDATA[Grunt]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Grunt[/B]


Grunting, groaning, 
Sweating, complaining
Too much inner chatter!

[I]Ah, it's too hot, too cold
My knees hurt
My feet are cramping
What, suwari waza, again!
Fuck, that nikkyo really hurt!
Damn, that break-fall nearly killed me!
Where's my breath?
What happened to flowing and effortless?
My ass…
What am I doing here?
Why won't he fall?
Why am I so tired?
How's my hair?
When will it end?[/I]

Second wind…
At some point it happens
Always forget when
Body humming, movement easier
Joyous discomfort
Gi and body, a sweaty union
Mindless delight
I sit in seiza
Complete in no-thought


:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>09-23-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4619">
	<title><![CDATA[Dojo Bell]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Dojo Bell[/B]


The dojo bell
Struck!
Off center

The third strike

Leaving the bell wildly
Looking for its
Two companions


:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>09-16-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4612">
	<title><![CDATA[Elegantly Difficult]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Elegantly Difficult[/B]


Form follows function, they say
This applies in architecture
And many other disciplines
Including aikido, I think
In aikido, especially
The difficulty lies in
Creating a simplicity
Balanced by elegance
That permits nage and uke
To flow into form and function
As need and situation arises
Blending the elegantly difficult
Into a creative discipline
Of form, function, and art


:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>09-09-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4608">
	<title><![CDATA[Monkey Brain]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Monkey Brain[/B]


I search for the moon
In the water
Unable to distinguish

My monkey brain
Chattering away
Confused by ten thousand things

Still, I reach out
Till I fall in
Only then do I wake up



:circle: 



www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>09-02-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4603">
	<title><![CDATA[City Streets]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]City Streets[/B]


Some people wander
The rivers and mountains
Among mist, vine, rock and cave
Boundless and free

Companion with white clouds
Friends with Cold Mountain
Or perhaps Thatch-Hut Mountain

I wander city streets
Entering cool subway tunnels
Paths to the underworld

I marvel at tall towers and 
Look down from their heights
Watching the cityscape beneath

Unfold out of dawn and night
Concrete and stone my pillows
The city an incandescent jewel

Its arteries, streets and tunnels
Living and breathing
With their own nature

Taking joy in the bustling multitudes
Becoming one with the flow
All ten thousand things apparent

I listen to the wind
I listen to the rain
With all their city flavors

Channeling through city streets
Seasons come and go 
And the city endures

Always in a chrysalis state 
Fall mists cling to buildings and trees
Winter winds scour the streets

Creating emptiness and space
Spring haze rises with the sun
Summer nights hang heavy

With heat and city scents
The city knows the Tao
The Tao knows the city

But they do not talk
The Way flows through all beneath heaven
Including valleys and hills
Made of concrete, stone, and steel


:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>08-26-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4596">
	<title><![CDATA[We Would Like You to Retest]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B][I]We Would Like You to Retest[/I][/B]


I stand there
Facing the kamiza
And the seated judges
Respectful and silent
Sweat cooling
Everyone else
Sitting in rows
Sitting in seiza
A sea of white gis
With an occasional
Dark hakama
The dojo finally quiet
After intense moments
Of effort and action
Nage and uke -- many ukes
Flowing in harmony (?)
With sweat and breath

[I]We would like you
  to retest[/I], they say
Dreaded words
What they don't say:
AKA:  You failed!
You did not pass
The test!
I absorb this news
(Shit, damn,
  this sucks!)
And the critique
That follows
Breathing, calming
My mind and body
And emotions
I bow in acknowledgement
Returning to seiza



:circle: 


http://www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>08-19-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4592">
	<title><![CDATA[Distant Butterfly]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Distant Butterfly[/B]


The more organized
Your mind
The easier it is 
To steal it

The Tao is chaos
Without disorder
Follow the Tao
And order becomes apparent

A butterfly
Disturbs the breeze
And a storm
Arises elsewhere

I sit in seiza
Mind empty and clear
Sensing the faint brush
Of a distant butterfly


:circle: 

www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>08-12-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4585">
	<title><![CDATA[I Hear]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]I Hear[/B]
 
 
I hear
 
The faint 
Sound of
The wind
 
The faint
Flow of
The river
 
As my 
Opponent
Faces me
 
 
 
:circle: 
 
 
www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>08-05-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4578">
	<title><![CDATA[The Other Side]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]The Other Side[/B]


The Way of Aikido
Is painful and arduous
The journey is long

Pleasure and difficulty
Are shared in abundance
In equal measures

After years of struggle and effort
What is the result?
What is on the other side

Of all this effort?
Can completion be conceived of?
Or even achieved?

We are told that the struggle
Is the Way, that the Way
Is the struggle

Still, is there something more?
Something else?
Each chosen Way

May eventually lead to that place
Beyond mere appearance
Beyond Illusion

If so,
What is on the other side
Of Aikido?


:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>07-29-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4573">
	<title><![CDATA[Purple Cow]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Purple Cow[/B]


Walking along
An obscure pathway
I saw a purple cow once
[I]A purple cow?, [/I]I thought
How strange and different!

When I looked back
It was gone
[I]Stranger and stranger[/I], I thought
Circling the meadow
Till I disappeared


:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>07-22-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4565">
	<title><![CDATA[In-Yo of Aikido]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B][I]In-Yo[/I] of Aikido[/B]


[I]Uke[/I] attacks
With a strong
Hard [I]shomen-uchi[/I]
Striking to the head

[I]Nage[/I] responds 
With a soft [I]tenkan[/I]
Turning and
Blending with uke

And creating
An [I]in-yo [/I]gestalt
Restoring symmetry and
Harmony once more 


:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>07-16-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4556">
	<title><![CDATA[Battlefield]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Battlefield  [/B] 



Daily life is the battlefield
Nature is my sensei
As the swaying tree gives
Form to the wind
The waving flag
Fluttering in the breeze

I am the form of that
Which cannot be seen
Arising effortlessly out of emptiness
Growing out of nothing
Form without technique
Technique without form

A Way without a path
I reach into the Void
Where there is no duality
Becoming one with everything
Including my opponent
How, then, can I strike myself?


:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>07-08-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4551">
	<title><![CDATA[Boulder of Aikido]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Boulder of Aikido[/B]


There is always a reason
Not to go
You’re too sleepy, hurting, busy
The weather is too cold, too hot
It’s raining, it’s snowing
Something good is on TV
You finally got that date, at last!
Whatever – there is 
Always a reason not to train

Nevertheless, you go anyway
Your curiosity and need driving you
Knowing that you are chipping away
At the boulder of aikido
Gradually revealing and creating
Your own aikido-self

Of course, you never get there
It is a huge boulder, after all
And the chipping a seemingly
Sisyphean task
Still, you go anyway, chipping away
Knowing that the image 
Slowly taking shape
Will never see completion


:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>07-01-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4548">
	<title><![CDATA[Hadashi]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Hadashi[/B]


Zori put aside
Barefoot I enter
The dojo silent

Still, echoes remain
(swish, slap, thud!)
Of years of dedicated
Diligent, sometimes
Painful practice

Rei -- I bow towards
The tokonoma
Willing my spirit
To quietness
Early morning practice


:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>06-24-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4541">
	<title><![CDATA[Loving Brutality]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Loving Brutality[/B]


I practice aikido
The years go by 
 I practice aikido

Loving brutality of keiko
Years of commitment
Gi, worn and threadbare
Hakama, patched and faded
All that remains

I practice aikido
The years go by 
I practice aikido


:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>06-17-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4535">
	<title><![CDATA[Farting Away Ki!]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Farting Away Ki![/B]


Picture this:  A large auditorium
A sea of white gis
And dark hakama, thrown in
Summer Camp in San Diego
Many years ago

Probably over two hundred 
Aikidoka In the room
Sitting seiza, sweat cooling
Listening to Chiba Sensei speak

We all listen attentively, of course
Leaning forward, trying to catch
And comprehend his words and meaning
His English sometimes hard to understand

Suddenly, in the now quiet hall
Someone lets out a loud fart!
Poor bastard, two hundred plus aikidoka
[I]And[/I] Chiba Sensei and he (or she) loses it!

Chiba Sensei stops speaking and asks loudly:
[I]Who can't control their anus?[/I]
This we somehow all understand
He grins and we all laugh - 'course
No one raises their hand!

Chiba Sensei's thought is that farting
Is one way for the body to lose [I]ki[/I]
Still, if that last burrito with beans
Is still hanging around
What to do?


:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>06-10-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4526">
	<title><![CDATA[Scotch &amp; Sake]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Scotch & Sake[/B]


Scotch and sake
A blending of
Different cultures
And traditions

Kilt and hakama
Claymore and katana
Dirk and tanto
Quarterstaff and jyo

Haggis and sushi
Well, maybe, not quite
My apologies
To sushi

I sit in seiza
Remembering my
Glasgow upbringing
Here now in America

Studying a Japanese art
Many streams lead
To the same great ocean
Aikido has room for all


:circle: 

www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>06-02-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4522">
	<title><![CDATA[Misogi Under a Joshua Tree]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Misogi Under a Joshua Tree[/B]


A small golden boy 
Crouching under the shade
Of a large Joshua tree
His Razor scooter
Abandoned casually beside him
On the sand

A hot, harsh sun hammering
Down on the aikidoka
Practicing before the boy
On a large concrete court
A small, low fountain
Opposite the Joshua tree

Rolling desert all around
As the aikidoka practice 
The 36 [I]jyo[/I] basics
[I]Kesa, tsuki, shomen-uchi[/I]
With some [I]Sancho[/I] one
Thrown in to further confuse

[I]Gis[/I] and[I] hakamas [/I]moving 
And flowing in the hot air
[I]Shihan[/I] and [I]shidoin[/I]
Watching and correcting
Bravely hiding their sorrow
As they watch us perform

Hats, sunglasses, sun screen
Not the usual attire
The sun and heat beating down
Sweat evaporating quickly
In the dry desert air
I wonder what the boy sees

As we strive for perfection
Achieving instead hot skin
Dry throats, stiff muscles, and
Occasionally, slammed hands and fingers
As we steadily narrow 
That performance window

Closing in on the kill-strike
Risking injury and bruised egos
Perhaps this is true [I]misogi[/I]
Moving and doing with intent
And focused minds
Honing the six elements

The five senses and the mind
Asking the desert [I]kami[/I]
To wash away our sins
As we try to bring our
Bodies, spirits and centers 
Into unification


:circle: 



www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>05-24-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4518">
	<title><![CDATA[God or Copernicus?]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]God or Copernicus?[/B]


First, the Earth
Created by God
Was the center
Then, the sun
Revealed by Copernicus
Became the center
God or Copernicus
Take your pick…

Actually, you are
The center
The center from which
All things derive
The universe spins
On a hidden axis
That is centered on you

Dwell in the harmony
Of yin and yang
Calm your mind
And plant your staff
And from it
Let your vision spring


:circle: 


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>05-17-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4513">
	<title><![CDATA[Poetry]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Poetry[/B]
 
The inspirational essence
They say, that drives good poetry
Can never be defined
Only alluded to
It is strangely beyond
The very words that are used
It is hard to find
Only clumsy metaphors are left
Yet, it will come to you by itself
It will come through
A lack of desire
And through a lack of effort
Are we only talking
About poetry now?



:circle:


www.nothing-works.com]]></body>
	<date>05-12-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4506">
	<title><![CDATA[Shaza Kissa]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Shaza Kissa[/B]


"Welcome, sit down
And have some tea."

A fire is made
Water is boiled

And tea is served
Nothing complicated


:circle:]]></body>
	<date>05-05-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4496">
	<title><![CDATA[Painless Aikido]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Painless Aikido[/B]


Is there such a thing
As painless aikido?

Sensing the delicate changes
In force, power, and flow

Becoming one 
With your partner

Nage moving, uke moving
Actually, nage-uke moving

Together as one
No need for struggle

Or pain
Tachi waza, suwari waza

Henka waza, kaeshi waza
The ebb and flow

Of energy
Creating the patterns

You enter into
Harmoniously and painlessly

                          * * * 
But, someone always mentions
Yonkyo!


:circle:]]></body>
	<date>04-28-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4488">
	<title><![CDATA[Moon on the Water]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Moon on the Water[/B]
 
I try to capture
The moon on the water
With ropes, nets, fishing line
 
But, it slips on through
Till I sit and reflect
On its reflection
 
 
:circle:]]></body>
	<date>04-21-2012</date>
</blogEntry>

<blogEntry id="4479">
	<title><![CDATA[Wabi-Sabi of Aikido]]></title>
	<body><![CDATA[[B]Wabi-Sabi of Aikido[/B]


The Wabi-Sabi of Aikido
Trimming away and eliminating
The non-essentials
Creating your aikido-self
Each technique and movement
Each moment
Transient, fleeting
As nage and uke
Create an imperfect
Impermanent and incomplete
Beauty


:circle:]]></body>
	<date>04-12-2012</date>
</blogEntry>


</blogEntries>