Five Fingers

Five Fingers
Yong Wan Choi 12.31.09

Standing on two feet and moving our hands, we came to live as humans
five fingers that open the body and walk the road along the lines of the palm

The thumb is people
bowing the head to kind hearts gathered round in friendship
head raised to the sky, bowed to the earth, seeking happiness

The index finger is money
the body that eats and wears clothes trades the world for money
gathering an armful of power and riches into its basket

The middle finger is foundation
because your fine things pay their true worth in life
what we give and take with others each day shines high into the sky

The ring finger is place
when you find your role in the ways of the world and settle where you belong
sunlight enters the shade and the finest flower blooms on a new branch

The little finger is timing
reckoning the years and doing what suits the season
we embrace the new day and dance to a song that never stops

Opening the fist where five fingers fold into a single palm
I clap at the dawn sky, and the light of the morning star brightens my way