They laugh at me, "Hey farm boy!
Skinny head, your hat's not tall enough,
and your belt goes around you twice!"
It's not that I don't know what's "in" . . .
If you don't have the cash, forget it.
But someday I'll get rich for sure,
and then I'll wear a big, tall
Buddhist gravestone on my head.
Han Shan (Cold Mountain)
legendary hermit monk
China, c. 7th-9th century
The last line of this poem is a mockery of the incessant striving after wealth that leads many people to an early death.
Photo: Senecio flowers and a tombstone-like block of quartzite; Snowy Range, WY; August 19, 2012
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