Manzou

"One day a week can you fast from fast? Untangle yourself from the Internet? Break free from the cell of your phone? One day a week can you give your attention only to the twitter of birds? The recitation of a sacred text? A beeper-less page of poetry?" "Manzou"--a Chinese farewell that means: slow down; linger longer; don't hurry off in such a rush! "Never before in human history," writes poet and author Daniel Skach-Mills, "has this word been more needed." In a world relentlessly accelerated by blazingly fast Internet speeds, 24/7 wireless connections, and an endless torrent of images and sound "bites" that condition us to "consume" whatever's set before us, manzou is not only a farewell, but can be a welcome homecoming to sanity. Inspired by the ancient Chinese Taoist sages and poets, this collection by Skach-Mills is a pacemaker that can return your racing heart to its original state of balance and oneness with the natural rhythms of the universe, or what the Chinese call "Tao." A finalist in the Spirituality category of the 2015 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, "Manzou" contains 51 original English poems (many inspired by Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland, Oregon), and is beautifully adorned with calligraphy, full-color Chinese paintings, and translations of a number of the poems into Chinese by Dr. Jiyu Yang. The book includes a full-length introduction by the author, and a glossary/notes section.