The Great Exceeding



Having received hexagram 28 from the I-Ching


a small lace spider
the shovel held very still
in my callused hand


I rifle through the second hand shirts in Oxfam. I am waiting for a spark of joy, and the right size. A white shirt covered in flecks of pale pink and deep magenta catches my eye. In the dressing room I hold in my stomach for a moment, as I look into the mirror. Exhaling, my gut hanging over my trouser belt, I smile at my reflection. I like the look of the guy smiling back at me.


The six spot burnet caterpillar has black leopard spots. The cocoon is a pale yellow hammock hung from a stork of grass. The black wings of the moth are speckled with colour and six big red spots.


Another layer of doing other people's work drops away.





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