​Repaying A Debt… a poem by Nick Brooks

​Repaying A Debt… a poem by Nick Brooks
The acupuncturist Bian Que once saved King Jizhao
from a heart attack
prescribing Three Mineral Wine.
Another time he saved the life of King Miaochuan’s favorite concubine
with a birth inducing alcohol mixture.
In the historical encyclopedia of the Han
wine is hot
reaches every part of the body
harmonizes blood and qi
opens the meridians
fosters yang
expels cold
is warming and blood vitalizing
has uses for almost every major disease.
Yet, still in love with the sun
drying out after the Yellow Wine of Wudang
social drinking
plus a little more – and, ah!
Li Po reaches for the depths.
The blackout
the drying out
still stubbornly staring
over the curative abyss of language
we two, strangers
repay a debt
retrieve the moon from the sea