The Bamboo Cutter
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I walked where hunger carved its mark in dust, The bamboo rose like wants I could not still. I cut one down, yet many took its place, Desire climbed and pressed against the sky. !!!!!!!!!! In shadowed past, the forest breathed in hush, A restless longing stirred beneath my skin. I claimed the green as something made for me, And cut as though it had no voice to lose. !!!!!!!!!! Each hollow stem became a dream I held, A roof, a bed, a cradle yet to swing. I shaped my future from the living wood, And never paused to hear what roots might say. !!!!!!!!!! My blade came down; the earth replied in pain, The broken ground released its hidden fangs. From silent depths, the waiting dangers rose, Like buried truths returning into light. !!!!!!!!!! I struck them down, yet still they seemed to grow, For what we hide will find its way again. The forest whispered softly through the leaves, But want had made me deaf to all but need. !!!!!!!!!! A fragile ne...