Tzu-Jan(Self-Ablaze) Poem by Dónall Dempsey

TZU-JAN
(Self-Ablaze)


You show me
your new skirt.

Give me
a little twirl.

One to each side
then completely around.

Your skirt
flares with excitement.

A flash of white
panties.

Your hair
a beautiful blur.

Then showing off
turning on a sixpence

you become
a human spinning top

(lost inside
your turning)

nothing but
speed & colour

hitting a high C
holding it forever

your heart
dizzy with exhilaration

as you
stumble into my arms

a sudden splash of laughter

you
at the still center

as world whirls
about you

held to the earth
with only this kiss

your heart
a kite

ready
to break free

from my trembling fingers

desiring the freedom
of the Heavens

reining in

this thing
of beauty & imagination

your heartbeat
trapped within

my human
hand.


*******

The literal translation of TZU-JAN is "self-ablaze"

(but it could also be rendered)

"the of-itself" or

"occurrence appearing of itself."

Or then again "being such of itself"...the "spontaneous...natural."

This tiny moment of Frieda showing me her new bright red skirt then became a...something else...as she went into this spectacular demonstration of what one could do in a second with the odd moment at one's disposal.

She completely transformed herself and the moment forever.

I often sneak back into the memory of this just to see it again and be amazed all over again!

A thing of beauty and a joy forever.