Qigong in the homeless forest

Standing in a small group, facing our teacher
Our teacher facing us as well as the little camera
The little camera, catching and projecting the session
Projecting the session to another class moving on zoom
Moving on zoom parallel to our own movements
Our own movements holding deep breath, slow motion
Slow motion as we rise our hands up stretching to the sky
Stretching to the sky, as the homeless man in the bushes
In the bushes some hundred steps behind the back of our teacher
Our teacher, who is raising her arms up, as he crouches down
As he crouches down, peering out from within the bushes
From within the bushes, where he felt unseen, as always
As always moving around with definite purpose, silently
With definite purpose, silently carrying his bags into the scrubs
Into the scrubs, where he has built himself a makeshift shelter
A makeshift shelter – our arms all high above our heads, a tent
A tent of arms, gathering the qi, our collective energy
Our collective energy flowing through and around each of us
Each of us trying to focus inward, while all I can see is him
Him, in his undershirt, sunburnt brown arms and wild unkempt beard
Wild unkempt beard hiding his expression, balancing his face
His face at an angle, looking purposefully into the bags he has carried
He has carried the weight of the world, I am thinking, as I breath in
I breath in deeply, following my teachers mild instructions
for bringing light into the world around and within
Within our circle we try to forget the world beyond, the suffering
The suffering that has been washing over our world, the news, our hearts
Our hearts trying to be open to those who need our light
Our light never truly reaching the man in the bushes, while we
While we are standing in a small group, facing our teacher.