In learning kung fu and tai chi, you come across a lot of wierd terminology. Phrases like "white snake vomits the mushroom" can be found a-plenty. You also have the imaginary creatures, like the dragon. But so far, one of them takes the cake.

I've been learning some new animal forms, a series of twelve short forms. You've got the usual tiger and dragon, some funky ones like the chicken, the ostrich and the turtle. But the one that got me was the peckafoe.

Yesterday in a moment of poignant reflection, by the calm Chattahoochee River surrounded by deciduous trees in full greenery, I said to my sifu, "What the heck is a peckafoe?"

Apparently a peckafoe is a fictitious bird similar to a grouse or a quail. Why they didn't just pick a grouse or a quail is anyone's guess. This peckafoe must have had some unique quality that made it worthy of its own form. I knew those monks were out there just making shit up. So in some ways they're kind of like writers. We take worlds that don't exist, people who don't exist and situations that never happened and give them life, turn them into something of substance. Something that can be experienced, enjoyed and heartily sought after. We make the imaginary real, at least for a few hours.

Here's to all the writers - our kung fu is strong!