Classic Poem

To do a painting and argue if it looks like life,
that's an approach a child might take.
Who is it that said this so very well?
Old gentleman Tung-p'o no less.
I take his word and make it law.
Suppose I drop ink on paper,
the square foot turns into the Hsiao Hsiang,
and a hundred shapes rise from the brush tip.
Paint well what you have in mind,
there's no need to fear praise or criticism.
Call it hemp or call it rush,
the designation's wholly up to the viewer.