As Breath Defines Constriction (Solar Wind)
The snake swallows itself, integrating the opposite. Or, illustrating the
nature of earthquakes, encourages conjecture.
Wind meditation. The practice of circling mountains, of emptying oneself.
Matter accelerating away from the sun. The prickly pear on the roof.
The Tendai monks of Hiei run 40 kilometers each day for 100 consecutive days.
Only then may they petition to complete the thousand-day trial.
Coronal mass ejections temporarily deform the Earth’s magnetic field.
I sweat while driving to the store for cold beer.
The heliopause is the point at which the solar wind’s strength is no longer
sufficient to push back the interstellar medium.
No matter its destination, a comet’s tail always points away from the sun.
At which point does one hear the sound of sunlight entering stone?
They must complete the thousand-day challenge or die. To this end,
each monk carries a knife and length of rope on his journey.
A map is simply paper. Solar wind, cord of death.
Stones in the path, quivering earth. Eyes focused ahead.
***
“As Breath Defines Constriction” is included in The Circumference of Other, my offering in the Silver Birch Press publication, IDES: A Collection of Poetry Chapbooks, available on Amazon.
O at the Edges 
Interesting post, interesting!
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Thank you very much.
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My pleasure
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very well done
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Thank you!
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Your interjection/juxtaposition of “I sweat while driving to the store for cold beer” amidst the such cosmic wonder, and mystical/spiritual austerity is masterful…
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My life is filled with cosmic wonder, but beer manages to squeeze in, too. 😀
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Just so you know, I shared this post on Clyde Long’s Facebook thread, in which he asked for opinions on (the abomination of all things holy that is) Rupi Kaur.
dear diary:
i’m not ashamed
of my envy
for a sacrilegious
hack
who skipped out
on the 40 K journey
on the first day,
and headed for
the breeding grounds
of ignorance–
because
it doesn’t change
the fact that
i’m still
smarter
P.S. i think
today is
a good day
to start
–drinking
s l harper
(Hey, she may be onto something, after all…)
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I am toilet paper
strong but soft
just don’t make
me wet
(Not) Rupi Kaur
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Haha!
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Maybe you ARE onto something. Or perhaps merely on something. 😛
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And thank you for sharing this!
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There are so many hidden gems in this poem.
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There’s no telling where the mind will wander…
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You know, Stephen King is one of my favorite authors. Not necessarily because I like the content of his novels, but because he writes the way people think. The odd things that get stuck in our heads. The tangents our thoughts go off on. This poem made me think of King’s writing.
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I hadn’t thought of Stephen King in that way, but now that you mention it, yeah! I can see it.
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To stay focus an straight head, wisdom….
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Unfortunately I tend to veer wildly. Straight ahead is difficult!
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i also get sidetrack…
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The poet’s life…
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No my poetry was better in past lives…
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YOUR POEM IS BEAUTIFUL STRAIGH ON TO MY HEART .
BY THE WAY DO YOU READ MY POEMS. YOUR COMMENT VALUED ONE IS NEEDED
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Thank you. I’ll be certain to visit your blog.
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welcome sir
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Very amazing post 👏🙏
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Thanks, MA!
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