The Xuan paper sucks the black ink deep inside,
Each magic square drawn
From the heart’s grimoire,
Black and white harmonies
Balanced on a rabbit’s hair brushtip.
Dots and strokes
Dance to secret rhythms;
Water and air are married
In the flow of the hand.
One comes to love the spaces between characters
More than the characters themselves.
Lei Jianfu of the Song Dynasty
Learned how to move his brush
By listening to the sound of running water
And letting his hand swim
With the waves.
Su Shi said that to write
Was like playing a game of chess
With the strokes.
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