Haven’t tossed coins
To read the I Ching
In many years
Don’t know what happened
To my three Chinese coins
Bought for the purpose
From a coin convention
Pre-Ebay days
When it was the only way
To buy unusual things
***
Today I took my slouch boots
Off the shelf
Wear them four times a day
To work out on the elliptical
And my new treadmill
What was that in my boot?
When the work-out song ended
Hopped off and dumped the boot
Half expecting a gecko or worse,
A palmetto bug
(Oh, please, let it not be the flying kind)
Old Chinese coin tumbled onto the
Plywood floor of the exercise yurt
***
Well, markings not as good as entrails
And only one coin would not make a
Decent hexagram
So googled it in images
Temporarily ignoring the meaning
Of it being in my boot for no reason
Since I had worn the boot 3 hours previously
Coinless
***
Identified it and learned all sorts of trivia
A beloved pastime for me
The characters determine the dynasty—year—
The coin was minted
And because it was from a 60-year dynasty
It had the powers of a charm
Sixty years of a dynasty represent longevity
Very good luck
But also a pledge of love
And the coin
Could be worn like an engagement ring
***
Ah, love…nothing gets me looping like love
I laugh at my OCD and largely ignore it
So I put the coin into my gris-gris bag
And immediately forgot about it?
No, immediately obsessed some more
How did it get there?
Impossible to have fallen from somewhere
What could it mean?
Longevity
Love
Why oh why am I not talented enough
To figure things out for myself
I can do it for others
But never for myself
Somehow I know this is important
***
Well, only one thing to do:
Fire up my kindle and ask the
I Ching app for help:
***
Sky above fire below (fellowship)
Sky above thunder below (innocence)
***
Seems like I have to stay in touch with
Community for fellowship purposes
Almost impossible since retiring
I have no desire to be around people
Just nature and dogs
Seems like I have a pure heart but
Must work at retaining it
Ah, so much for the question of love
***
This is an appropriate guidance for
September
International Day of Peace Month
I’m somewhat disappointed
Because although I’m aging
I still await my prince charming
Even if he is old and gray
Where is the personal meaning
I mean, could some guardian angel
If there be guardian angels out there
Toss that coin in my boot
To give me hope
That life has more in store for me?
***
Well, perhaps not, but
I will try to remember to
Continue good thoughts toward
The world community
And recall that all we need is love…
© 2015 Clarissa Simmens (ViataMaja)
IMAGE: COIN ON MY SLOUCH BOOT
poeturja 