Noodles Poem by Paula Glynn

China and the Chinese love their noodles,
They have spread their vast array of foods,
Clothing, lifestlye, education, among other things,
Across the world, the Chinese are unique,
And aesthetically pleasing with their fashions,
And Feng Shui and Chinese philosophy is indeed,
Followed and believed throughout the globe.
Many old traditions are present in modern China,
Some - like foot binding - not so much,
But many Buddhists still follow Buddha,
What he was I cannot explain, but I am intrigued,
Like any tourist would be, for that's what I am:
A tourist, I can't be Chinese or even understand,
But I can understand they are to be respected,
For I love Chinese food and the language is awesome,
Their alphabet original to their country,
And I admire and respect everyone who can read it:
Even if they can't trranslate into English.

I love the Geishas of China: such amazing hair,
And makeup, truly traditional Chinese,
Woman wear, that takes many hours to complete,
And I find I just want to stare and stare,
As these women wear their costumes,
For men, other women and tourists to admire,
Fashions of traditional China truly beautiful,
Many colours painted on the face,
And such pretty Oriental eyes lined and powdered,
And they dance and walk to a puppet show,
Chinese music dictating their movements,
As they dance gracefully throughout the show,
Their Geisha lips bright and neon,
With show stopping lipstick.

Yin and Yang and Chi, for we are all made of energy,
We all join and contradict each other,
The Chinese separating us through karma,
And water, earth, fire, metal and wood,
All five elements working together,
To build a strange inner working of the world,
That only Chinese philosophy can explain,
And it is not insanity: it is logic and reasoning,
For Feng Shui incorporates these five elements,
And allows Chi to flow to result in a perfect world,
For many Chinese belief systems attempt to explain,
What cannot be explained, it is almost a science,
And it may seem strange to westerners,
But Chinese medicine has also proved,
Popular throughout the world and it has worked.
For traditional ingredients and medications,
Are often found in China's countryside,
And many workers work the trees, grass, fields and crops,
To find them, and it is amazing how plants,
Can heal the body, the Chinese rich in its history.

I have to say, I love China, I love noodles,
I love the people, language, lifestyles,
And just the vast array of traditions,
Such as warding off evil spirits with charms,
And reaching into a body of water,
To pluck an apple from the garden of paradise.
China is a rich, diverse culture and everyone works hard,
For it is a successful, self sufficient country,
That cannot be controlled by the world's aliens.
China is beautiful, aesthetically pleasing,
And its art lights up every stage, art gallery,
And books that talk about Chinese culture,
Its beliefs, ways of life, traditions, food:
Even modern fashions. And everyone loves Jackie Chan.
Bruce Lee showed the world his skills in fighting,
Many women in China also study the martial arts,
No woman turned away from her education,
So let's celebrate China, as we think about,
The story behind the noodles.