Ronnie Robinson – Second Anniversary

Ronnie Robinson – Second Anniversary

On this, the second anniversary of Ronnie’s sad passing, Georgia Brooker has shared this poem with us. Georgia presented the 20th Anniversary Gala with Ronnie and this poem was inspired by the feedback, comments and snippets of conversations she had from lots of people at the previous year’s event.  Thanks, Georgia.

A Shared Poem for Tai Chi Caledonia

Well, here’s the thing:
I have opened an interesting book
and I’ve just read the first pages.
It translates into any language
but save the stories for the campfire.
Look
at the delight on her face as she played
and we played, and at dancing in the chalets,
the grace of footsteps:
spirale, spirale, spirale, like ballet.
And breathe. There’s no end to the breath,
and rigidity is death, and I told you
to empty your leg, not your head.
We talked about flashes, flexing,
adapting, relaxing into changes.
Old root, new branch,
and saw the green oak shoot growing up
through the circle of a rotting stump,
friends sitting on the stairs to rub each other’s shoulders,
the blackbird seizing the morning worm,
and there! the buzzards which might be eagles.

Sink, release.
Good chi,
fun, free, sincerity, generosity,
The amazingness-ness of it all.
So,
Honour your part.
Feel your feet.
Live your art.

And again, listen:
the sound of the mower, a bell ringing.
The gong.
Sorry, what was that? Right…
the other left.
Am I doing this wrong?