When the Shoe Fits
Ch’ui the draftsmanCould draw more perfect circles freehandThan with a compass.
His fingers brought forthSpontaneous forms from nowhere. His mindWas meanwhile free and without concernWith what he was doing.
No application was neededHis mind was perfectly simpleAnd knew no obstacle.
So, when the shoe fitsThe foot is forgotten,When the belt fitsThe belly is forgotten,When the heart is right“For” and “against” are forgotten.
No drives, no compulsions,No needs, no attractions:Then your affairsAre under control.You are a free man.
Easy is right. Begin rightAnd you are easy.Continue easy and you are right.
The right way to go easyIs to forget the right wayAnd forget that the going is easy.
–When the Shoe Fits – Chuang Tzu, translated by Thomas Merton
This poem was part of my sweet cake enso for the exhibit at the Empty Hand Zen Center. I am writing a story about this exhibit and my Enso and even now I laugh thinking of the story, who decides who is an artist, about art, and impermanence.
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