Sunday, February 21, 2021
TEN OLD MONK POEMS (3)
DON'T ASK YOURSELF
Don't ask yourself,
You might not like
what you answer,
the old monk says.
That's the whole plot
in a few simple words.
~
THE STARS ARE
The stars are shifting,
the old monk said.
The horses have run
away, yet the stars
don't worry. Every
moment is tomorrow.
~
WE HAVE SO MUCH
We have so much
infinity,
the old monk said.
It never ends.
~
IF YOU DON'T
If you don't do
what you always do,
the old monk said,
you may not do
what you need to.
~
I HAVE SAID
I have said so much,
the old monk said,
the silence is full.
~
WHEN I SEE
When I see the same thing
I say the same thing,
the old monk said,
when saying something new
wouldn't be fruitful.
~
THE MOON
The moon
opens the sky,
the old monk says.
The pines sing
an old song.
Listen:
the night says
How long,
how long?
~
LEARNING THIS
Learning this silence,
the old monk says,
prepares you for
the next one.
~
YOU CANNOT
You cannot
mean silence,
the old monk says,
when you keep
speaking in words.
~
WHEN YOU KNOW
When you know,
the old monk says,
you know
you can say
nothing.
You own
your silence.
The silence
owns you.
~
