By Dick Barnes
Chuang Tzu and Hui Tzu were hundreds of years old.
They flew over Galilee. Hui Tzu said,
"There goes another country boy."
"Country boy my ass," said Chuang Tzu,
"you just watch him crucifly away
up to the sky." Hui Tzu said, "You mean
crucify, not crucifly: crucify,
you asshole." Chuang Tzu said,
"Excuse me if you are mistaken."
*Author's note: It is possible that Chuang Tzu--eponymous author of the Taoist classic, the Chuang Tzu Book--is a fiction. Hui Tzu, on the other hand, is a verifiable historical personage...The most famous story about (the pair) is this.
One day as they were walking across a dam on the Hao River, Chuang Tzu said,
"Look at them little fish darting around. That's what they really enjoy."
"You're not a fish, how do you know what they enjoy?"
"You're not me, how do you know whether I know or not?"
"I may not be you but you're a fish even less, and that proves my point."
"Let's go back to your original question . You asked how I know what the fish enjoy.
Your question implies you knew I knew what they enjoy.
The answer is: I know it by walking alone on this here dam."
Mark Rothko, Untitled 1969
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