Sunday, April 24, 2022
TEN OLD MONK POEMS (64)
PEOPLE SET UP
People step up,
they step right up
if you ask them,
the carnival barker
told the old monk.
~
JAMES THE LESSER
James the Lesser
and James the Great --
isn't that like
Bones and Tiny,
the old monk asked.
~
EVERYTHING YOU SEE
Everything you see
is a lesson in seeing,
the old monk said.
~
YOU PLAY IT
You play it
as if it's
all a play,
the old monk told
his student.
~
IF THIS WAS
If this was
a whaling expedition
would we be talking about
doing cartwheels,
the old monk asked.
~
THE MOUNTAIN / MAKES
The mountain
makes its own storms,
the old monk warned.
~
IF THE HERMITS
If the hermits
don't find silence
can they be hermits,
the old monk asked.
~
A LANDSCAPE
A landscape
so ugly
it's beautiful --
I've seen it,
the old monk said.
~
HE CAN SHOW YOU
He can show you
the right way.
He can show you
the wrong way.
And he can show you
a third way,
just to show off,
the master said
about the old monk.
~
MIDNIGHT
Midnight.
The old monk is still
counting stars.
~
