Sunday, October 31, 2021
TEN OLD MONK POEMS (39)
I WOULD BE
I will be
your jester
if you think
you are a king,
the old monk said.
~
WHEN YOU REACH
When you reach
the end
of the universe,
you don't,
the old monk said.
~
THE EARTH HAS
The earth has more
surface than edge,
the old monk said,
fortunate for us.
~
JUST WHEN
Just when you think
it's heaven,
you taste the bad coffee,
the old monk said.
~
MEMORY
Memory --
it isn't
what it was
when it was,
the old monk said.
~
THE EDGE
The edge of the world
is in your fingertips,
the old monk said.
~
IT FOLLOWS
It follows
from the stars
we are
who we are,
the old monk said.
I mean --
literally --
the stars made us.
~
YOU DO IT
You do it
by doing it
again and
again,
the old monk said.
~
THE PAIN
The pain
comes to you
because it has
nowhere
else to go,
the old monk says.
~
THIS MOUNTAIN
This mountain or
any other --
holiness
doesn't care where,
the old monk said.
~
Saturday, October 30, 2021
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (48)
WHATEVER YOU SAY
Whatever you say you want
I'll say you can't have it,
the old monk said.
That's how you get to heaven.
~
IF I SAY
If I say anything
I'll be repeating myself,
the old monk said.
~
YOU CAN'T LEARN
You can't learn to fly
without learning how to die,
the old monk said.
~
Friday, October 29, 2021
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (47)
IF THEY SAY
If they say
that's what they
want, do they
do it? That
will tell you,
the old monk says.
~
IF YOU'RE READY
If you're ready,
the old monk said,
you can fly across
the universe.
You just need to know
where to turn.
~
YOU CAN DO IT
You can do it
all night,
the old monk says,
but you won't
get up
in the morning.
~
Thursday, October 28, 2021
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (46)
YOU DON'T KNOW
You don't know
why it wants to,
the old monk said,
and still it does it.
~
NOT EVERYTHING
Not everything
is anything,
the old monk said.
~
Keep your shirt on,
the old monk said.
I don't need to see them.
~
Wednesday, October 27, 2021
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (45)
IT MIGHT BE
It might be
what you want
but you did
make a face,
the old monk
said he noticed.
~
IF IT SEEMS
If it seems like an apartment building,
sometimes it's just your dream,
the old monk said.
~
IF IT DOESN'T
If it doesn't stop,
how are you going to stop it,
they asked him.
The old monk didn't know.
~
Tuesday, October 26, 2021
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (44)
HOW MANY TIMES
How many times
can you go
up the mountain
before you can't
come back down.
The old monk
wouldn't tell.
~
THAT WALKING STICK
That walking stick
is kind of like mine,
the old monk said,
only not so wobbly.
~
A PROMISE
A promise
not to promise
is not a promise,
the old monk said.
~
Monday, October 25, 2021
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (43)
DON'T WAIT
Don't wait so long
going home is
a burden,
the old monk said.
~
IF EVERYONE
If everyone
gets what they want,
what's left
is what I get,
the old monk said.
~
YOU CAN BE
You can be both and neither,
the old monk said,
just not at the same time.
~
Sunday, October 24, 2021
TEN OLD MONK POEMS (38)
WRITE IT FAST
Write it fast,
the first draft,
and make up
the rest of it
later on,
the old monk told
the novelist.
~
SOFT AS
Soft as the fur
on a cat's ear,
the light this morning,
the old monk said.
~
EVERYTHING I PROMISE
Everything I promise
you already have,
they old monk told
his promising students.
~
SOME CAN READ
Some can read
the blue code
in the green trees,
the old monk said.
Some cannot.
~
SOMETIMES / THE ONE
Sometimes
the one thing
you say is
the only
thing you can,
the old monk said.
~
IF GOD WANTED
If God wanted you to nap,
why did he send us,
the Jehovah Witnesses asked
at the old monk's door.
~
SOMETIMES IT'S NOT
Sometimes it's not funny
and still you just have to laugh,
the old monk said.
~
WHAT DO YOU
What Do You Do
With a Drunken Sailor --
it's the only song they know
and they sing it all night,
the old monk said.
~
LISTEN TO
Listen to the voices --
one of them will be
a damsel in distress
waiting to be rescued,
the old monk says.
~
IF IT COULD
If it could
be one line
it would be,
the old monk said.
~
Saturday, October 23, 2021
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (42)
OF COURSE
Of course, I'll
carry it down
the mountain
if you
carry it up,
the old monk said.
~
I'M HERE
I'm here
like I'm supposed to be,
so listen,
the old monk said.
~
DEATH
Death--
sometimes the darkness,
sometimes the silence,
the old monk said.
Sometimes neither.
~
Friday, October 22, 2021
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (41)
I COULD
I could tell you,
the old monk said,
but you'd say
I was lying.
~
THE DIFFERENCE
The difference?
the old monk said.
Sometimes the difference
is the same.
~
THAT'S WHAT YOU DO
That's what you do,
the old monk said,
you kiss and make up
before it all goes to hell.
~
Thursday, October 21, 2021
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (40)
IF SOMEONE
If someone wanted
to investigate,
the old monk said,
they might find,
indeed,
I sleep til noon.
~
HOW MANY
How many of them
do you think there are,
those angels who
bring you home,
the old monk asked.
~
NOTHING
Nothing
is just what
you want
when you're tired
of everything,
the old monk said.
~
Wednesday, October 20, 2021
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (39)
WHY DO I LIVE
Why do I live
on the mountain
and eat roots
and mushrooms?
If I knew why,
the old monk said,
you wouldn't
have to ask.
~
I WENT
I went to the city for rice,
the old monk said.
I won't go again.
~
THE LONELY PATH
The lonely path
up the mountain
is not so lonely,
the old monk says.
Someone has tramped
this way before me.
~
Tuesday, October 19, 2021
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (38)
PUT
Put.
What kind of word
is that,
the old monk wondered.
It sounds like the name
of an Anglo-Saxon king.
~
YOU DO THE DEAL
You do the deal
or the devil does you,
the old monk says.
Either way,
be careful.
~
STAND ON THE EDGE
Stand on the edge,
the old monk said.
See if the wind will
push your boundaries.
~
Monday, October 18, 2021
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (37)
SUCH RHYTHM
Such rhythm,
such a show of light,
that moment when
it all goes
Go,
the old monk says.
~
SOME BERRIES
Some berries
and wind
and sunset,
the old monk says.
Supper.
~
THAT'S THE NICE THING
That's the nice thing
about springtime,
the old monk says.
Even the old ones
get frisky.
~
Sunday, October 17, 2021
TEN OLD MONK POEMS (37)
HOW MANY TIMES
How many times
do I have to
do this to do this,
the old monk wondered.
~
THE WORLD FORGIVES
The world forgives
what it needs to
but keeps a record
in the rocks,
the old monk said.
~
HOW DO YOU
How do you find
what the rocks
are saying? You
pay attention,
the old monk says.
~
THE MOUNTAIN HAS
The mountain has
so much to teach
and you're not
paying attention,
the old monk warned.
~
LET THE STARS
Let the stars come out
and be surprised
how soon it's morning,
the old monk said.
~
YOU DON'T
You don't
memorize
the music --
the music
memorizes
you,
the old monk
told the band.
~
THE TREE DOES NOT
The tree does not
resist the wind
even as it
holds its breath,
the old monk said.
~
HOW GOOD IT IS
How good it is
is the first thing
you think about
the cold drink
of water,
the old monk said.
~
YOU CAN'T CARRY
You can't carry darkness
to the light. You have to
take the light to it,
the old monk says.
~
THE FIRST ONE
The first one
down the mountain
isn't always
the fastest,
the old monk says.
~
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (36)
TRANSLATE THIS
Translate this,
the old monk said,
turning sideways
like coyote.
~
IT IS
It is what it is,
the old monk says.
Let it be that.
~
CICADA
Cicada
is Zen
with a Z,
the old monk says.
What is
cricket?
~
Saturday, October 16, 2021
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (35)
HOW FAR
How far can
the old monk
carry his
burden?
Until he
sets it down.
~
YOU MEAN
You mean like this,
the old monk said,
touching the ghost.
~
I DO EVERYTHING
I do everything,
the old monk said,
and sometimes
it's too late.
~
Friday, October 15, 2021
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (34)
YOU'LL FIND
You'll find it's
not bone,
the old monk
told them,
but a floppy thing
to hold onto.
~
IF IT'S A SONG
If it's a song,
why does it sound
like you're weeping,
the old monk
asked her.
~
A NICK IS
A nick is
close,
the old monk said,
and a little
closer.
~
Thursday, October 14, 2021
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (33)
WHAT YOU DESIRE
What you desire,
the old monk says,
let it be like rain
that you ask for.
~
SOMETIMES QUIET
Sometimes quiet
is quiet,
the old monk says,
and sometimes
it's not quite.
~
WHO NEEDS YOU
Who needs you
can't always
ask twice,
the old monk says.
~
Wednesday, October 13, 2021
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (32)
WHO'S SMARTER
Who's smarter
than I am,
the old monk said --
all the hermits
on the mountain.
~
THE MORE YOU HAVE
The more you have
the bigger the wagon
you have to pull,
the old monk says.
~
YES
Yes,
the old monk says,
someone says these things.
Not me.
~
Tuesday, October 12, 2021
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (31)
IT WAS MALARKEY
It was malarkey,
the old monk said,
and who'd fall for
that line but
a poet?
~
IT'S THE ONLY
It's the only
loaf I have,
the old monk said.
I'll share half.
~
GO SO FAR
Go so far
the sun sets
where it comes up.
the old monk said.
See who wants to
come back.
~
Monday, October 11, 2021
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (30)
GO AND SEE
Go and see for yourself,
the old monk says --
the mirror doesn't lie.
~
TREES HAVE PLENTY
Trees have plenty
to talk about at night,
the old monk says,
less so in winter.
~
HOW MANY
How many hundreds
of these angels
do we need to
send them,
the old monk asked.
So few come back.
~
Sunday, October 10, 2021
TEN OLD MONK POEMS (36)
BETWEEN WHAT
Between what I think
now and what I will
think then there might be
some disagreement,
the old monk said.
~
EVEN WHEN
Even when you cross it out
that doesn't mean it's gone,
the old monk told the poet.
~
IF YOU CANNOT
If you cannot fly
you will not save the sick man,
the old monk told his students.
~
THE 4/4 MEASURE
The 4/4 measure
holds a whole note,
two half notes, four
quarter notes, or
all the little ones
you can fit in,
the old monk said.
~
YOU NEVER COULD
You never could see it coming,
even when it was
right down the middle --
that's why you're waiting tables,
the old monk told
the ex-minor league player
serving him dinner.
~
THE FEATHER
The feather always says,
Let the air lift me,
the old monk said.
~
OF ALL THE THINGS
Of all the things
I know, I know
nothing the most,
the old monk said.
~
I WANT A BALANCE
I want a balance
between body and mind --
what have you got,
the old monk asked
the nice person at
the dispensary.
~
YOU CAN READ IT
You can read it one way,
you can read it the other,
you can not read it,
or you can't read it,
those are your choices,
the old monk said
about his poem.
~
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (29)
I LIKE TO VISIT
I like to visit
in the evening,
the old monk said,
after the monsters
are put to bed.
~
FIND THE RIGHT
Find the right
rock to sit on,
the old monk says,
wisdom will
come to you.
~
SOMETIMES THE OLD ONES
Sometimes the old ones
are in the mountains,
the old monk says.
Sometimes the old ones
are only stone.
~
Saturday, October 09, 2021
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (28)
IF ANYONE
If anyone
will do it
no one
will do it.
Ask someone
and they'll
just point,
the old monk says.
~
I HAVE / PRACTICED
I have
practiced
enough,
the old
monk said.
I can
do it.
~
EACH LETTER
Each letter
of the alphabet
is a character,
the old monk says.
You can tell a lot
of stories.
~
Friday, October 08, 2021
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (27)
IF THE SPACE
If the space you have
isn't enough,
the old monk says,
find another
universe.
~
PULL IT
Pull it,
the old monk said.
Maybe it starts something.
~
OH, YOU KNOW
Oh, you know,
here and there,
the old monk said.
I just listen
and the stars
tell me.
~
Thursday, October 07, 2021
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (26)
WISDOM IS LIKE
Wisdom is like
taking light
out of water,
the old monk says.
~
HOW YOU LIKE IT
How you like it
is only one way
to get it,
the old monk says.
~
I WOULD WRITE
I would write
white stone
if I meant
white stone,
the old monk said.
I meant
mountain.
~
Wednesday, October 06, 2021
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (25)
IF YOU LISTEN
If you listen enough,
the old monk says,
you know there's
nothing to say.
~
IS THIS HOW
Is this how it is
when a star flames out,
the old monk wondered
listening to himself.
~
THE OLD MONK SAYS
The old monk says
the old monk doesn't know.
~
Tuesday, October 05, 2021
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (24)
WHICH MOUNTAIN
Which mountain
is Witch Mountain,
the old monk asked.
No one knew.
~
THE WORD FOR
The word for
bright is
sun-moon
in some language,
the old monk says.
~
YOU DON'T HAVE TO
You don't have to
but you can,
the old monk said,
pointing them to
the mountain.
~
Monday, October 04, 2021
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (23)
WHAT LANGUAGE
What language
would I speak,
the old monk asked,
if I could
speak what I know.
~
SOMEWHERE NEAR WINSLOW
Somewhere near Winslow
you can taste the wind,
the old monk remembered.
~
WRITE SOFT
Write soft,
it'll get harder,
the old monk
told his students.
~
Sunday, October 03, 2021
TEN OLD MONK POEMS (35)
A THOUSAND MILLION
A thousand million
would be a good start,
the old monk said
about writing poems.
~
WHO'S GOING
Who's going to
speak of nothing
if I don't,
the old monk asked.
~
THE EXACT WORD
The exact word
is usually close,
the old monk
told the poet.
~
THE THINGS YOU DO
The things you do
you do because
you do -- it's
not any more
complicated
than that,
the old monk said.
The universe
has no choice
either.
~
LOOK AT THE STARS
Look at the stars --
it's not hard to see
why some may think
they interfere here
in our business,
the old monk says.
~
IF IT DIDN'T
If it didn't have to
be this way,
how would it be,
the old monk wondered.
~
SEE HOW HARD
See how hard you can make it
not saying anything,
the master told the old monk.
The old monk is trying.
~
SOMETIMES / I AM
Sometimes
I am so
far outside
my body
I am
outside
my body,
the old monk told
his master.
~
ON THE MOUNTAIN
On the mountain
something may
snatch you up
quickly -- be
prepared to fly,
the old monk said.
~
HOW LONG
How long does
the dove have
to mourn in
the morning
before you
get out of bed,
the master asked
the old monk.
~
MY WISDOM
My wisdom
is almost
like the wind,
the old monk said.
~
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (22)
THERE ARE OTHER
There are other
ways out of here
that aren't up
the mountain,
the old monk said,
but they're not many.
~
DON'T SAY IT
Don't say it
and say it
again,
the old monk said.
You'll learn.
~
IT'S YOUR BURDEN
It's your burden,
the old monk said.
You have to load
your own mule.
~
Saturday, October 02, 2021
IF HELL WON'T
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (21)
THINK ABOUT
Thinking about
infinite
possibilities,
the old monk says,
the monkeys
who know
Shakespeare.
~
WHEN YOU TAKE
When you take away from,
what do you take it to,
the old monk asked
the math teacher.
~
IF YOU KNOW
If you know
where the wells
are, you own
the desert,
the old monk says.
~
Friday, October 01, 2021
THREE OLD MONK POEMS (20)
YOU LOAD
You load both barrels,
the old monk says.
You just might use them.
~
RAISE YOUR HAND
Raise your hand
with questions
if you want to
go away confused,
the old monk said.
~
BUILDING BRIDGES
Building bridges
the brave man lays
the first span,
the old monk says.
~
