*
**
*
From Tank Person to
Person, transitioning, stillI
Standing up to power
*
I became one with
The tank, then we dissolved, gone—
Person can return.
*
**
*
Omm
from conversations with my friend
Yu Yan Yip
*
**
*
The photo is of a rare and wondrous Inchan tree, over 200 years old, in Thailand, which bears two different types of fruit, the In and the Chan, at alternating times each year. In a similar way, one person may develop two different, alternating kinds of being, at alternating times, while remaining the same, consistent person.
This poem is part of a series inspired by the experience of Yu Yan Yip, previously known as Tank Man, who has been on the run and transitioning for many years.
The previous poems in the series are:
Photo of the Inchan Tree by Freddie Oomkens taken at Kanchanaburi, Thailand, in 2022
About freddie
The Inchan Tree is a beautiful creation and a fitting symbol of our dual, transitioning natures.
I wish to complete the haiku chain, dear Freddie, by extending the idea of dissolution, leading to return of person, along a flow of fluidity:
Person is born in
Liquid, air and blood—
Always
Person stays fluid:
#
Person born crying
To breathe, move first time,
Living
Person stays moving.
#
YYY
Thank you, dear Yan Yip, and I love this approach of composing a haiku chain together.
Especially when, as now, we are partly writing about disintegration and its role in making us whole!
I’ll add your ‘ku to mine later (it may take some time!).