POETRY FORUM

From reading the Tao te Ching, #51:

by MH Clay December 30, 2022 1 comment

I’m buried in dirt
Burgeoning
Tao is my gardener
Wearing a broad-brimmed straw hat
To block a baking sun

Tao grew the sun
From the same nothing dirt
Surrounding me

My sprout self springs
I’ll soon bring blooms
From nothing I do
But wait
For water

editors note:

A Laozi excuse to slow your roll & grow with the flow… ~ Johnny O

Comments 1

Jerome Berglund
August 25, 2024 at 10:37 am

Phenomenal!! Finds that perfect sweet spot where west and east meet, with compelling language and imagery, wu wei forever…

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A bit about M.H.: M.H. Clay traveled the world, wrote poetry and plays, and worked for corporate America in many places throughout the southwestern United States, Europe, and Asia. He credits his experiences during these years of travel with shaping his world view, and by extension his writing and literary voice. His primary badge of self-identification is his art.

M.H.’s appearances and contributions to the local and international poetry scenes have been numerous and varied. He has been a thrice-featured poet at the Blackwater International Poetry Festival in Ireland, 2013, 2014, & 2016, as well as a panelist at Poetry International Rotterdam, 2015. His appearances have included readings for Wordspace Dallas, Pandora’s Box Poetry Showcase, The Writer’s Garret, Inner Moonlight, Verse & Rhythm, and various open mics around the Dallas/Ft. Worth area since 2003, and, since 2009, has served as editor of Mad Swirl’s Poetry Forum.

Selected works: Sonoffred, Rebel Poetry, Ireland, 2015; Film adaptation of short play, Friendly, directed by Carlos Garcia, Jr, Dallas, 2016; Film adaptation of short play, Three-Two-One, directed by Carlos Garcia, Jr, Dallas, 2016; ANGST, Mad Swirl Press, Dallas, 2016; Film, Nighthawks, directed by Carlos Garcia, Jr, Dallas, 2018, (adapted from his one-act play, Dorian’s Uptown Diner, 2006); True Believer, collected poems, published by Alien Buddha Press, 2025. (Sonoffred, ANGST, & True Believer are available on Amazon.)