Poem by Dan Inosanto ~ Stickgrappler's Sojourn of Septillion Steps

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Poem by Dan Inosanto

3/17/2013 11:00:00 AM Dan Inosanto, Poetry No comments

Throughout history, there were martial artists who also were masters of the Arts. Some of history's famous examples include:

Miyamoto Musashi, in addition to being one of Japan's greatest swordsmen, was also an accomplished artist, sculptor, and calligrapher.
Yamaoka Tesshu, also amongst Japan's greatest swordsmen, was a master of swordsmanship, Zen, and calligraphy.
Cheng Man-ch'ing/Zheng Manqing of Tai Chi/Taiji fame, was often referred to as the "Master of Five Excellences." The Excellences were as follows: poetry, calligraphy, painting, Chinese medicine, and taijiquan.

Let's fast forward to a modern example. Arguably one of the 20th and 21st century's famous martial artists, Guro Dan Inosanto, needs no introduction. I present to you a poem by him:

We are all climbing different paths through the mountain of life,

and we have all experienced much hardship and strife.

There are many paths through the mountain of life,
and some climbs can be felt like the point of a knife.

Some paths are short and others are long,
who can say which path is right or wrong?
The beauty of truth is that each path has its own song,
and if you listen closely you will find where you belong.

So climb your own path true and strong,
but respect all other truths for your way for them could be wrong.

Check out this cool video with a reading of Guro Inosanto's poem:

Did Guro Inosanto's poem inspire you to try your hand at writing poetry?

If you missed the other entries in this series, please check out:

Sunday, March 17, 2013