Elements

-- Grass Hut --

Sharp, unbending, unfeeling is the smell of steel,
forged in roaring fire, licking tongues tasting of heat,
longing for the quenching cold drip of water heard
through the dark damp earth feeling the constricting
roots of wood seeing the unseeable wind
felled by the unforgiving sword.

Supple is the strapping wood
fed off the cold mountain water
purified by the rarest metal
born out of dark mother earth
warmed by the deepest all-consuming fire
fueled by the undying spirit.

Bitter is the joy that blazes
a cutting path in pungent sorrow
piercing a stake through sour anger
tilling the ploughs of sweet contemplation
damning the salty fear
swirling against the unbreachable soul.

Black is the water that pierces the bone
coursing wood through tendon green
hammering red pulse fire against
muscle flexing yellow earth
burnishing metal skin white over
the untrodden mind flowing eternally.

Give and take,
ebb and flow,
wax and wane.
unheeding
the elements
ever-cycling