Blue Elegies: Poems

Blue Elegies begins with an homage of sorts to the White Crane Kung Fu School of Martial Arts where Helen Ruggieri studied for 15 years. The poems in the first section honor the white crane. Historically martial arts schools imitate strengths of the animal. For example, a dragon may club, a crane may strike, sharp and accurate. The crane's strengths are feathers and beak. Certain movements exemplify each strength. A sweeping fling of one's left arm with the fingers spread demonstrates the m...