Poem: Changes 28/ Ta Kuo—Preponderance of the Great

1
The ridgepole sags to the breaking point
The wood is stout
At the center of gravity

But the pressure
Is at the margins
You cannot change the pine

Because it is what it is
So you must change
The triggering condition

But you
Are not
God

2
The lake rises
Over the treetops
Caution 'though it seems exaggerated

Is no mistake
The enterprise cannot succeed
Without caution

In laying the foundation
And bracing
The ridgepole

3
You must go through the water
Even when it goes over your head
Even when you surrender life

So goodness
And the right prevail
There are things more important

Than life
Or so they say
But I can't think of what they might be.
---o0o---