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the handsome monkey king

Magpie Tales #40
somersault the world
stick the landing
shine them pearly whites
ain't you a grand thing?


change your hair
seek and hide
wield your staff
change the tide


declare yourself
equal to heaven
anger the gods
sweep stables unending


make deals with demons
set horses free
lose a bet with Buddha
get locked up, five centuries


older and wiser
take a journey to the west
with a pilgrim named Xuanzang
and a restricting headdress


fearlessly travel
dark, dangerous woods
for your strength and service
earn Buddahood


Rene ~ 2010

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Comments

  1. A tale spanning the ages ... beautifully written!

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  2. I like how you went for the history behind the piece! Great read, as always. :]

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  3. very creative, intriguing yet fun to read at the same time. Loved the last stanza especially "earned a buddahood"! Great writing.

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  4. wow rene you took this one and ran...nice....

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  5. Well done!
    -- K

    Kay, Alberta, Canada
    An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

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  6. I enjoyed reading this lovely poem! It's so clever that you chose to write about the history of the king whose image is on the piece of jewelry. I like this! :)

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  7. I love that first stanza. It's flip and playful and made me smile.

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  8. flip and playful, just like me :)
    thanks you.

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  9. Thanks everyone for the kind comments..aside from reading such great writing, what I love most about
    Willow's Maggies is the stuff you learn!

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  10. that is great! i love how you have put this all together.

    earning Buddahood is fabulous!

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  11. If Hanuman had been a Buddhist...

    This hits many classic touchstones. I like it, I like the mythology of it. Well done, Rene.

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  12. That was terrific! After writing more than 24,000 words in the last 10 days my brain is tired but you woke me up with this one!

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  13. A nice take this weeks prompt.

    It races along well - I enjoyed it.

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  14. Another fantastic Magpie by Rene! Love it - especially somersault the world!

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  15. I love the way you have told the pieces history. Inspiring stuff Thanks.

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  16. Great poem. Glad you captured the deity's story. Well done!

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  17. Just found your website and Magpie as well. Very impressed w.both and this poem is especially welcome and refreshing. Like the best,it hints & points a sign for the reader with a tale, rather than spelling out the whole plot & moral, leaving space for thoughts to come. Enjoyed it greatly.

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  18. Wow, to lose a bet with Buddha. Epic stuff. Great write, Rene.

    (thanks for the eleven info!)

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  19. I enjoyed the multicultural effect of this Magpie. :)

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  20. Really enjoyed this. The first stanza is knockout.

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  21. I loved that! I felt captivated as I read it. I need to visit your site more. Inspiring!

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  22. Well, you outdid me, kiddo. Now I've got to do some reading to understand this. It'll do me good.

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  23. Love the "lose a bet with Buddha"...love the intertwining of religion and history...well thoughtout write Rene....bkm

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  24. Love the spanse in this, popping through wonderful images of to and fro.

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  25. That was cool. I felt like a traveler.

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  26. older and wiser
    take a journey to the west
    with a pilgrim named Xuanzang
    and a restricting headdress

    ...
    you know things better than me.
    magnificent tale, well done.

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  27. wowee...great post- so well written
    Thanks for your comments- I actually wnet back and added to mine...

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  28. A fabulous fable! Love every word of it!

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  29. This one covers a lot of ground. Nice Magpie.

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  30. Loved the scope and scale of this. Quite a ride and well connected to the prompt. You got a lot from a little. One of the best for mine.

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  31. I wrote about the monkey king too...this was so well done! fun reading :)

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  32. Wow...Rene you really know your history and you say it eloquently! :-)

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  33. An enjoyable read. Very cool....and if Buddahood isn't in the dictionary, then it should be! Fabulous word!

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  34. Very nice; we both had a demon this prompt. Lots of images from your verse.....

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