{"id":826,"date":"2020-09-20T00:59:04","date_gmt":"2020-09-20T07:59:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/societyforritualarts.com\/coreopsis\/autumn-2020-issue\/?page_id=826"},"modified":"2020-10-10T17:47:50","modified_gmt":"2020-10-11T00:47:50","slug":"the-year-of-the-metal-rat","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/societyforritualarts.com\/coreopsis\/autumn-2020-issue\/the-year-of-the-metal-rat\/","title":{"rendered":"The Year of the Metal Rat"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Top thru Author” _builder_version=”4.3.4″ background_image=”https:\/\/societyforritualarts.com\/coreopsis\/autumn-2020-issue\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/paper-texture.png” min_height=”495px” custom_margin=”0px||-165px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px|0px|true|false” saved_tabs=”all”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_4,3_4″ _builder_version=”3.26.7″][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”3.26.6″][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”3.26.6″][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/societyforritualarts.com\/coreopsis\/autumn-2020-issue\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/coreopsis-winter-2019-header.png” admin_label=”Coreopsis logo” _builder_version=”3.26.6″][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_5,3_5,1_5″ _builder_version=”3.26.7″][et_pb_column type=”1_5″ _builder_version=”3.26.6″][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”3.26.6″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Pull Quote” module_id=”callout” module_class=”noindent” _builder_version=”4.3.2″ text_font=”Montserrat||on||||||” text_letter_spacing=”2px” text_line_height=”1.9em”]<\/p>\n

Find your own way,\u00a0A way that is kind.<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_5″ _builder_version=”3.26.6″][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_5,3_5,1_5″ _builder_version=”3.26.7″][et_pb_column type=”1_5″ _builder_version=”3.26.6″][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”3.26.6″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Title & Author” module_id=”author” module_class=”noindent” _builder_version=”4.3.2″]<\/p>\n

The Year of the Metal Rat:
The Re-birth of the Earth<\/span><\/h1>\n

Marylyn Motherbear Scott<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_5″ _builder_version=”3.26.6″][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Content Block” _builder_version=”4.3.2″ background_image=”https:\/\/societyforritualarts.com\/coreopsis\/autumn-2020-issue\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/paper-texture.png” custom_margin=”0px||0px||true|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||true|false” saved_tabs=”all”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,2_3″ _builder_version=”3.26.7″ custom_padding=”0px|||||”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”3.26.6″][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/societyforritualarts.com\/coreopsis\/autumn-2020-issue\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Single-Dusk-Candle-by-Carly-J.J.-Turner-Autumn-2020.png” align=”right” _builder_version=”4.3.2″][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”3.26.6″][et_pb_text module_id=”poetry” module_class=”noindent” _builder_version=”4.3.2″ custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”||0px|||”]<\/p>\n

A maze looms up,
a myriad of walls
blocking every turn.
How do we escape?<\/p>\n

The rat finds his way,
quickly and with ease.
Clever, innovative,
he scurries and skritches<\/p>\n

Down narrow alleys,
climbs tall walls,
<\/span>swims dark streams, for days,
<\/span>near blind. Like justice.<\/span><\/p>\n

Or karma? We see into
The shade and shadow
<\/span>of ourselves, the way we live,
<\/span>the choices we make.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rat\u2019s tail is long,
a balance and antennae.
<\/span>sensing and sending
<\/span>to what lives in the dark.<\/span><\/p>\n

In half-sighted vision, his tail goes
to what his mind knows.
<\/span>catching the drift of the invisible
<\/span>He divines probabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Clever, conniving, cunning,
running a fast pace race,
<\/span>Picking out tricks from his rat top hat,
<\/span>Magically changing lead into gold<\/span><\/p>\n

Rat hitches a ride on Ox\u2019s horns,
jumps onto the riverbank\u2019s path well worn
<\/span>runs heater skelter as only rat can.
<\/span>wins the race by a sleight of hand<\/span><\/p>\n

A friend in need is a friend indeed;
Rat sent his friends on errant paths.
<\/span>Trust is not something pulled out of a hat;
<\/span>Trust must be earned in the year of the Rat,<\/span><\/p>\n

Thus Father Rat is first in line
while Mama Ox, matriarch sublime,
<\/span>clears the way, picks up the pieces,
<\/span>before what\u2019s left of the old year ceases.<\/span><\/p>\n

In his wake, Rat leaves shredded scraps\u00a0 \u2014
newspaper, letters, photos, and maps
<\/span>sheddings of the old year left behind.
<\/span>Nostalgic Ox re-members, just to re-mind<\/span><\/p>\n

Stashing bits of shiny metal,
Rat calculates what to forge,
<\/span>a blade or a bowl? a knife or a spoon,
<\/span>the shelter of home? Or, the edge of doom.<\/span><\/p>\n

No need to travel
Rat\u2019s well-worn way
<\/span>Your path is unique;
<\/span>With new words to say.<\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t listen to others,
make up your own mind
<\/span>Find your own way
<\/span>A way that is kind.<\/span><\/p>\n

If we climb every wall,
peer over the top
<\/span>we find there\u2019s nothing
<\/span>to make us stop.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/i><\/p>\n

Marylyn Motherbear Scott<\/i><\/p>\n

Chinese New\u00a0 Year, January, 2020<\/i><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.3.4″ background_image=”https:\/\/societyforritualarts.com\/coreopsis\/autumn-2020-issue\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/paper-texture.png” custom_padding=”0px|||||” saved_tabs=”all”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.27.3″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.26.7″][et_pb_divider color=”#37712d” divider_weight=”3px” _builder_version=”4.3.2″ width=”60%” module_alignment=”center” height=”5px”][\/et_pb_divider][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_4,1_2,1_4″ _builder_version=”3.27.2″][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”3.27.2″][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.27.2″][et_pb_text module_class=”noindent” _builder_version=”4.3.2″]<\/p>\n

This writing is the intellectual property of the author, Marylyn Motherbear Scott. For permission to share, please just ask and give credit to her as author. If you wish publish,\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

please contact her for written permission. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

motherbearscott@mindspring.com<\/span><\/i> <\/a><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”3.27.2″][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Find your own way,\u00a0A way that is kind.The Year of the Metal Rat:The Re-birth of the Earth Marylyn Motherbear ScottA maze looms up,a myriad of wallsblocking every turn.How do we escape? The rat finds his way,quickly and with ease.Clever, innovative,he scurries and skritches Down narrow alleys,climbs tall walls,swims dark streams, for days,near blind. Like justice. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-826","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Year of the Metal Rat - Coreopsis Journal Autumn 2020<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/societyforritualarts.com\/coreopsis\/autumn-2020-issue\/the-year-of-the-metal-rat\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Year of the Metal Rat - Coreopsis Journal Autumn 2020\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Find your own way,\u00a0A way that is kind.The Year of the Metal Rat:The Re-birth of the Earth Marylyn Motherbear ScottA maze looms up,a myriad of wallsblocking every turn.How do we escape? 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