‘dad’s old truck’

Ruling the country is like cooking a small fish.

Approach the universe with Tao, And evil is not powerful, But its power will not be used to harm others.

Not only will it do no harm to others, But the sage himself will also be protected.

They do not hurt each other, And the Virtue in each one refreshes both.

In the beginning those who knew the Tao did not try to enlighten others, But kept it hidden.

Why is it so hard to rule?

Because people are so clever.

Rulers who try to use cleverness Cheat the country.

Those who rule without cleverness Are a blessing to the land.

These are the two alternatives.

Understanding these is Primal Virtue.

Primal Virtue is deep and far.

It leads all things back Toward the great oneness.

Something mysteriously formed,
Born before heaven and Earth.
In the silence and the void,
Standing alone and unchanging,
Ever present and in motion.
Perhaps it is the mother of ten thousand things.
I do not know its name
Call it Tao.
For lack of a better word, I call it great.

Being great, it flows
I flows far away.
Having gone far, it returns.

Therefore, “Tao is great;
Heaven is great;
Earth is great;
The king is also great.”
These are the four great powers of the universe,
And the king is one of them.

Man follows Earth.
Earth follows heaven.
Heaven follows the Tao.
Tao follows what is natural.

with every breath, i oxidize

rust.

i breath in light

i drown,

within the seas of consciousness

i drift

my rock moves away from me

no hope of breath or death

i

forget