When Mark Nepo was 36, he was diagnosed with cancer, up till then he had never been ill. (He) was terrified, and nothing was helping (him) to conquer (his) fear. Then, one night, he was visited in a dream by the great Chinese poet of the Tang dynasty, Tu Fu.1 Mark's dream poem is recorded herewith. Here, we have a poet who lived in the years 712 to 770 reaching across centuries to relieve one of fear and dread.

As Mark learned, we are more than our fear.

Out of the yellow mist

he came, his Oriental beard

in tow. We were on a healthy shore

and he sat cross-legged in the sand,

scratching delicately with a branch,

his slender head down. I crouched

and put it to him, "How do I block

the fear?" He kept scratching the sand

as if he hadn't heard. I grew angry,

"How do I block the fear?!" He lifted

his head and shrugged,

branch waving above him,

"How does a tree

block the wind?"

With that, he

disappeared

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